A Girl of Storms
by Sandi Speaks
Summary: A teenage girl and her two uneducated in Tolkien lore friends find themselves thrust into the War of the Ring. Unfortunately, she gains a reputation, one friend is very unfortunate, and another friend is in a romance. Great.
1. Chapter 1

"Dude, that totally sounds like Sulaica. 'Do your work, children. I'm drying my nails and applying lipstick. Like, I totally don't care about math.'" My friends and I erupted in laughter at my joke.

"Yeah, but she wouldn't even bother with talking to us, she'd just mumble really loudly and stare at her mirror!" Sarah said with a tint of sass. We laughed even more. P.E. sucked and our coach was honestly worse than any punishment they could throw at us. It was the middle of September, the best of times and the worst of times. We were supposed to be running, but Sarah, Carolina, and I absolutely hated running, and so when we went on our "Around Town" runs with the cross country team we would walk and take shortcuts. Every now and then, we would explore an abandoned house, or a private lot. Today was one such day.

"Hey, you see that one lot down the road?" I grin, pointing that an overgrown, chain link fenced lot, with a tiny wooden shack leaning half over on it. I'm the only local in the bunch, Carolina and Sarah live in Del Rio, about a half hour drive away. I live only a few blocks away. "People say it's haunted. Double dare you to go in first, Caro!"

"No way. Sarah, you do it!"

"Boldly going, right?" Sarah beams and pulls the latched gate open. We all wander in and jump over cactus, ducking under wires and reaching an abandoned swimming pool aside a windblown shack.

"Cowabunga!" I grin, standing aside the pool and pretending to jump. We all burst into hysterics.

"Dude, check this out!" Sarah calls from inside the shack. "There's this weird door. You need to see this." I walk over to the house, the broken floorboards strewn with newspapers and trash. Lo and behold, there's the door. It's wide open, a little bigger than a cabinet door, though it's still big enough to crawl through. You can barely see the other side, but the ground is rich, springy grass. It's also cooler and moister, almost misty there.

"This is way trippy, Sarah. You first, m'lady! I grin at Sarah and shove her through. God, I'm a bully. She disappears.

"Holy shit! Sarah, where are you? Do we go in after her or what?" Caro squealed a little bit.

"I don't know about you, but I kinda actually want to see. I'll go first this time though." I slip through the door and land on a patch of soft grass, like carpet. Sarah is sitting next to me, except she's not exactly Sarah. She's slenderer and taller, and she's wearing a soft yellow tunic with black leggings and tall leather boots. Her thick glasses are missing and I'm pretty sure she doesn't need them anymore either. Her ears are pointed, and her coffee colored hair is also a lot longer and, well, less messy. It's full and wavy. She's also a lot paler than she already was, so she's about the color of the moon. And her eyes are a weird light brown.

"Sarah, you really need a mirror right now." I smirk at her. She'd hate the beautified image.

"Yeah, but so do you." I look down. I'm wearing a green tunic with silver-grey leggings and similar boots. I feel my hair, since this seems to be important. Same auburn bob. But my ears are pointed too. I sigh. I'm also, thankfully, a good bit taller and willowier than my pudgy, short figure back on the other side of the door. Suddenly, an ultra-black haired girl with pointed ears and dark grey eyes lands next to me, as if thrown out of thin air. She's wearing a red tunic with golden brown leggings and boots, and immediately I can tell that this is Carolina.

"Guys, where on earth are we?" Caro asks.

"Middle Earth." I say decidedly. And we're elves. This is certainly going to be interesting.

"Wait, you mean from that book series you like so much? And those movies you and Carolina have been begging me to watch?" Sarah's mouth is gaping open.

"Yeah, one and the same." I smile and brush my clothes off as I stand up. "Well, we need to go somewhere. Besides, this is certainly gonna be fun." I begin to walk off. "We might get to kill stuff and carry swords. Do y'all want to miss that?" Sarah pulls herself off the ground, and Caro leaps to her feet nimbly. "Since we're elves now, thank god, we're natural athletes. We can run hundreds of miles, slay thousands of orcs, go for weeks without food or sleep, and never even break a sweat. Now let's get going."

I begin to run. Well, this whole running thing might hold out physically, but psychologically we're all three still slackers. So for half the trip we're stumbling over our own feet. Sarah is getting bored of running. It's not interesting without challenge, she sustains. Eventually, the grass gives way to mountains, and we're still running suicide pace. It's really great, this whole thing. Better than I thought it would be at least.

Suddenly, a vast valley opens in the mountain before us, full of trees and a river, waterfalls, and ponds. It's beautiful. If you looked across the valley, perched on the edge is Rivendell. I'm not sure you can comprehend the vastness of Rivendell. It's monumental. I've absolutely always wanted to see it, the gold and silver palace over the river, and there it is, here I am with my friends and we're elves, and I actually have sudden realization of weapons training. How am I supposed to handle all this?!

"Guys, that's Rivendell. Do you realize what this means?"

"Vaguely," murmurs Caro. She's smiling.

"Nope. Fill me in." Sarah looks a bit flustered.

"Well, I can't exactly explain very well, but if our timing is exactly right, then we're at the Council of Elrond. And that means if our timing is right again, we'll end up on the quest to destroy the Ring."

"Good or bad?" Carolina smiled as Sarah asked.

"Depends on how you think of it. Good if you want action and adventure. Bad if you don't want to die. I, for one, really want this to be true and perfect. Always wanted adventure like this, you know?" I nod to Caro. "What about you?"

"I'm in if you mean adventure, the whole quest thing."

"Great. I guess I'm in. We can't exactly leave. And I'm really okay with staying here, even though I'll miss Garrett." Sarah sighs a bit. This is gonna be hard for her. The two were really close, and she said once that even though she was just a sophomore in high school and he was a senior, they were considering getting married after she finished college. Fortunately there are a lot of really hot guys in Middle Earth for Caro and I's taking.

"Sarah, you know what this means, don't you?" I look at her a bit sadly. "We're in a deeply sexist world where women have to fight ten times as hard as men to get half the recognition, we all face a high risk of death, and we bear witness to some gruesome stuff. If we all live, then we won't ever be the same, for better or worse. And, get this, we have absolutely no real weaponry experience, even though if you're like me you've suddenly got this stuff in your brain. So Sarah, I just figured you need to know what you're sticking your hands in, because, hon, it's double sticky as maple syrup and three times as smelly as vinegar." Sarah stiffens up.

"I know what I'm going into, or at least I think I do. Sure, let's do it." Sarah walks on, the path growing wider in front of us. Caro and I shrug and follow her. The path isn't long, and Imladris begins to take shape. I smile. I know exactly, from the books, where the Council will be held. After running through corridors excitedly, I push open a door and sprint out into a large courtyard, dragging my friends behind. Surely enough, there's a circle of empty chairs.

"Looks like Miss Precise is a bit off." Sarah's sarcasm is limitless, isn't it?

"Dude, if you could have gotten this right then we wouldn't be in this bind, would we?" I pout a bit.

"Look, it seems pretty early in the morning. Chill, guys, maybe we can catch Elrond and inform him we're here. Besides, we can't come to such a white collar thing in these clothes." Caro grins and turns around and leaves the door. She used to be so quiet before she became an elf. Damn, I can't believe how much she's changed in just a day.

"Okay, maybe Caro's right. Hell, she probably is." Sarah sighs.

"Yeah, that would make sense. Maybe our point eared bro is down with giving us some rooms and clothes and food and weapons and... alright, I'll stop there. But anyway, supplies before we go." I said. And we thusly followed Caro into the hallway. The second we stepped out into the hallway, we noticed Carolina was talking to the elf bastard himself. And she was speaking flawlessly.

"My Lord Elrond, my companions and I come from the far Western realms, and we come for the meeting. We require food and clothing, along with shelter, since ours were stolen from us by wanderers. This is Dayna, and Sarah, both wise among our people," I grin at that. Great compliment from somebody like Carolina. "My name is Carolina, a warrior of my parts." Dramatic there, Caro? The fiercest thing you've faced is the spider in first period.

"My lady," begins Lord Elrond, "we have many a people here for the meeting. We will be honored to have you and your companions here. Clothing will be in your rooms within the hour. There will be food provided after the meeting. My sons will show you to your rooms." Right, Elladan and Elrohir. Double hotties. Two boys who couldn't be older than 20, but look like a cross between Ben Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston with long dark hair walk out of a door on the other end of the hallway. I have to restrain myself from drooling, Sarah nearly has a seizure, and Caro's eyes are the size of saucers.

"Are you some of the guests to the meeting?" one of them says. They look to be sizing us up. I honestly don't even know how to respond.

"Yes. Will you please escort us to your bed, I mean, our bedrooms?" Sarah grins a little at my stumbling over that sentence.

"Flirty one, aren't you? Yeah, well, our ada would kill us if we got caught messing with guests, so... I guess your rooms are this way." The twins lead the three of us down the hallway. Sarah and Caro are freaking out. I guess the elven architecture is really pretty, even though they haven't seen it all yet. The twins open three doors, each about ten feet apart. I pick the one in the middle, Caro picks the one on the left, and Sarah picks the one to my right. I can hear Sarah flop onto her bed and squeal. Yeah, I think she likes it here. I notice that there's some folded sets of clothes resting on the edge of my bed. I pick up the heap, and pull out every single dress and try it on, all 5 outfits.

The first is a green satin dress with lace sleeves and a drop waist. It's really pretty, but too formal for my taste. I set it aside. Maybe it'll be for the meeting. I put on the next dress. It's got a very large flowing silk skirt and a velvet bodice. They're both in a very deep purple color, and the sleeves are long and draping. It's very pretty, but also very difficult to get on because you have to wear a corset with it. I think this is not the gown. A casual blue dress, with no adornment and a simple waist, is my favorite, but not formal enough. The next is a sheer pink gown with absolutely no adornment or the like, which makes me think it's a nightgown. The last outfit is a deep blue tunic similar to the one I'm wearing, with a pair of wine red leggings. There are some shoes off to one side of the bed too, a set of black heel sandal thingies (I never knew what to call those), some leather boots, and a pair of light pink slippers. Also, next to the tunic is a cloak thing, a leather vest, another pair of thicker pants, and a belt with a sheath for a sword. I put the deep purple dress on, brush my hair, and put on the sandals. I walk next door into Sarah's room.

"Dude, knock next time. I coulda been nekkid." She's swirling in the mirror in a chocolate brown dress, covered in velvet with tight sleeves with a ball gown skirt. It's nothing like something I thought she'd usually wear, but it's pretty. "That's a pretty dress color, heh." She envies my purple. Crazy girl. The cocoa is a good color on her.

"Let's see how Caro is doing. God, you should knock this time." I murmur. She stops twirling and looks a bit dizzy. I escort her, still a little woozy, out of the room. Carolina's room isn't far. She stumbles like she's drunk. Then I remember the complimentary wine resting on one windowsill and notice an acidic smell lingering on her. I sigh and tug her over to Carolina's room. I knock on the door and shove it open.

"Hello! Oh god, Sarah, what's happened to you?" Carolina's eyes are the size of dinner plates and she backs up a bit at our intoxicated friend. Her dress is a ocean blue, entirely lace dress with a fitted skirt and drooping sleeves. Very pretty.

"You see that bottle on the windowsill? Wine. Sarah drank every drop of it. We just have to make sure she's dead quiet at the meeting. Heaven help us and hell spare us if she isn't."

"Yeah, but you know, I think bringing her is a good idea. I mean, they get to see all three of us." Caro glances over at Sarah, who is lying on the bed and probably choking in her own drool. "Even though one of us isn't all there." Carolina murmured.

"Caro, your ceiling is like swirly like my dress!" Sarah began laughing hysterically. I hold my breath and count to ten. Don't strangle her, I think. You need her.

"Okay, so the thing is at noon. It's about ten right now. Let's sober her up. Do elves have coffee?" I bite my lip and say.

"The kitchen's not far. I can sneak in and ask around." Caro grinned and ran out of the room, heading one direction.

"Dayna, am I going to die?" Sarah slurs a bit, but she sounds a bit more serious.

"We all do. On this quest? Not if I can help it. But there are things you can't stop. We're all elves now, so old age and sickness are out, and that's what most people die from here. If you die, it'll be epic." I sigh. If we go back, nobody leads epic lives at home, we all die old and withered and gone. Dust in a shell. I want the glory and honor and courage, and that won't happen there. This is my chance. "And you won't," I reassure her.

"Dying? More like living so much life gets done with you." Sarah giggles, and I grin a little. That's the Sarah I know. Caro bursts through the door carrying a pot. Foul smells waft out of it.

"What is that?" I cringe.

"An herbal blend sure to get Sarah undrunk, according to the sarcastic blondie in the kitchen." Caro is holding her nose, so she sounds nasally. Sarah takes a sip, bolder than me.

"Stuff's not too bad." Sarah sits on the bed.

"Yeah, but it smells like death." I punch her a little.

"Stuff works. Blondie wasn't sarcastic." Caro grins. I punch her too.

"Two hours. What do you wanna do?" I ask.

"Truth or dare!" Caro squeals.

"Me first." Sarah perks up. "Dayna, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" I say, feeling brave.

"Okay, so this is one that spans the entire time we're on a quest. Okay? Okay. So I dare you to make out with somebody in the middle of a battle." Sarah holds her head high, and beams proudly.

"Dare taken. Caro, Truth or Dare?" I say.

"Truth."

"Elves, yea or nay? I mean, like, in terms of guys and appearance." Crappy question.

"Um, did you see those guys in the hallway? Yes!" Caro does her signature smile, which involves a slight lip pout, upturned corners, dimples, and raised eyebrows. Fairly complicated move.

"Truth or-" Caro is cut off by the door being opened.

"Ladies, the meeting has been waiting for you. Now please, hurry." Elrond stands in the doorway, much more formally dressed than previously.

"My lord, we did not know the time. Thank you for informing us." I stand elegantly, smooth my skirt, and leave with him. My friends follow me out. We walk through the arched hallways again, though less thrilling than last. Finally, after what feels like miles, Elrond pulls a door open and ushers us in. Three seats near the Mirkwood elves are set aside. I take the middle seat, Caro sits on my right, and Sarah on my left. We listen attentively and don't engage ourselves in the arguments. Caro and I are tense, and Sarah, I guess because she doesn't know as well as we do what's going to happen, seems a bit less nervous.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor, though I do not know the way."

"You have my sword."

"And my bow."

"And my axe!" So we have to go through this again?

"You have the service and trust of my companions, Master Baggins." I stand up and proclaim.

"So you shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." Meeting adjourned. "Supper is within the hour." Elrond adds.

Chapter 2


	2. Chapter 2

Has it ever been mentioned to you that elves are usually vegetarians? I just figured that would be a very good thing to bring up. The food was of course delicious, and there was meat for Gimli, the dwarves, and some of the men, but my friends and I weren't willing to compromise our possibly delicate elven digestive systems for roasted duck. We were the talk of the table, Caro, Sarah, and I. Everybody else seemed fairly acquainted, but the female newcomers on the quest were foreign.

"Where are you from?" Legolas asked.

"Far west." I answer.

"What are your names?" Boromir said.

"These are Sarah and Dayna, wise philosophers of our land and I am Carolina, a fierce warrior." Same intro Caro gave Elrond before.

"Why do you come?" Aragorn asked.

"We come to combat the forces of Mordor and protect our people, much as you do." I sigh a tad. Lie.

"Why do they send women?" said one of Boromir's party, an unwise man.

"Why does your country send men? We are equals on all fronts, it is only that men receive more battle training and education. It seems to me that we are a more civilized people to trust both equally." Sarah says curtly, playing with her soup. She's picking up on this thing, good.

"Both men and women are allowed to fight if you're a dwarf," adds Gimi. I nod approvingly at him.

"And elves." Legolas is determined to outdo the shorty.

"It's just men." I roll my eyes as politely as I can. Making enemies seems a bad idea. Silence for a few seconds. I watch the hobbits stuff their faces. My friends and I don't talk for the rest of the meal, exchanging nervous glances a few times but mostly staring at our plates and toying with our silverware. After the servants take our plates, I play with the hem of my sleeve, rolling a stray thread between my fingertips. Elrond and Gandalf are making small talk, and Legolas and the Mirkwood elves are laughing and gossiping. Aragorn begins conversing with Boromir and the other men of Gondor, and hobbits continued to stuff food through their pie holes. The dwarves appraise and review the jewelry everyone seems to be wearing, looking at the make and quality. Gradually, people began to leave for their rooms. The hobbits went first, taking the rowdy aloofness with them. The men of Gondor then left as well, followed by the dwarves. Finally, my friends and I decide to go to our room as well through a series of well-placed glances.

"Well... that was interesting." Caro mumbled as we walked back to our rooms.

"I didn't know such tiny people could eat so much." Sarah sassed again.

"How are they gonna make it when we get going?" I said. Honestly I thought I was being a bit too serious, but it was important.

"It's two days until we leave, by the way. We might want to squeeze some weapons training in." Caro said.

"Swords! Knives! Bows! It's a fantasy come true," Sarah said dreamily. We're reaching our rooms at the end of the hallway.

"Well, night. See you tomorrow." I locked my door, took my confining dress off, slipped on the nightgown, and plopped onto my bed. When you're an elf, you sleep with your eyes open, so even though I was honestly trying to sleep, closing my eyes didn't do anything. I tossed and turned for what felt like hours. And then, I decided that I was not in fact going to sleep. Elves don't need it anyway, really. I got out of bed and tiptoed into the hallway. I really love how silently I can walk. I hear voices in a corridor off to my left, and I follow the sound to the door of a lit room. I listen with my face pressed against the wooden door.

"You can't expect those girls to make it far. They don't know what they're getting into." Elrond said quietly. "They barely arrived this morning, unarmed."

"I sense something special about them. They seem to be more important than you think they are," Gandalf countered. "They have a part to play."

"They do not belong. I feel a tip in fate, something off about them." Elrond said heatedly, but still muted.

"I think it is for the good." Gandalf sounds like he's smiling, and his voice is full of quiet hope. The door opens, and I'm thrown onto the floor. Gandalf smiles. "You'll do just fine, young one. I'd recommend some sleep, now. You're going to need it."

"Yes sir, um, okay." I creep back to my room. I go back to sleep, this time very well and deeply.


	3. Chapter 3

"Dude, wake up! Burning daylight, sister!" Caro yanks my pillow out from under my head.

"Ow...No, sleep. Sleep is good." I rub my aching head.

"Get dressed and ready for weapons training. Grab some food too. Anyways, out in the courtyard within the hour." Caro strides out. I put on my green tunic and leggings from the day before and tug on some boots before running to the kitchen and snagging a pastry. I eat it on my way to the stone courtyard where we're to train for weapons.

"So you're here and ready." One of the twins is smirking at me, but their hair is tied back today and they're wearing tunics like ours, but in cream and maroon. God save me. Anyways, Caro and Sarah aren't here yet, so I lean on a stone column and nibble my breakfast. Surveying the area, I notice a few swords, a couple of bows, three large daggers, and some throwing knives sitting on a table. I really, really love weaponry. Sarah walks in, her hair tucked into a bun. She looks exhausted or maybe like she woke up five minutes ago.

"Caro wake you up too?" I grin at her, happy with my preparedness.

"Yup. I hit my head on the floor when I fell out of my bed." She rubs the back of her skull. Caro waltzes in, looking way too perky and ready.

"Morning, guys. Sorry for the wake-up, Sarah." Caro bites her lip and holds back a bit.

"I think a bit of payback is in order, dude." Sarah pretends to punch Caro in the face, and we all start laughing.

"Enough. It's time to start training, and from what I've heard you have absolutely no experience." One twin says. The other one tosses us each a sword. They're really beautiful, and the perfect length for each of us. I wave it around a bit. Very nice, balanced, and pretty to boot.

"I guess you all know what to do then." One of the twins gestures to my friends and I. "Perfect balance, good stance. You're holding it right at least."

"Know what this means?" the other one is beaming. "Practice fights. Since there's three of you, I'll have to fight one of you." Please let it be me, please let it be me.

"You in the green, and you in the blue," he gestures to Caro and I, "you two will be fighting. Yellow, over here with Elladan." Sarah looks like she's about to freak out. I walk up to Caro and draw my sword.

"Ready?" She pulls her sword out of its sheath.

"Ready." I say. And thus, I learn that I own at sword fighting, and so does Caro. Five whole minutes of moves I didn't know existed. I smile the entire time, and Caro looks like she's going to start shitting rainbows. Elrohir, the one who isn't fighting, finally gets between us and blocks both our swords. Caro flips his sword with which he blocked her out of his hand.

"These are actually still sharp objects, guys. I get it. You all have really good swordsmanship. Now let's test archery." He passes us each a bow. This will be good. I ran archery at Girl Scout camp for a week, and not with a compound bow either. A real bow. The ones he's giving us are longbows, with improved accuracy and force. It's light and springy. I really like this.

"Now, we've got targets set up on the roof. I have money on how many shots it'll take each of you to reach it, so please, just do average." Elladan says. My friends and I take aim and fire. Mine is a perfect bull's eye, and Sarah just barely misses the center of the target. Caro's arrow has hit slightly off center of the bull's eye, but much closer than Sarah's.

"Twenty, Elladan. Cough it up." Elrohir is smiling. Oh my. I just noticed how great he is. Smiling? Somebody kill me.

"Try again. Do a bit worse this time." Elladan is scowling. I turn my bow around, putting the point of my arrow on him. I shoot and fire, ripping off part of his tunic and pinning a part of his sleeve to a tree.

"Good enough?" I put down the bow.

"Damn good. Next time don't aim for me." he says. "Moving on, since you are all professionals already."

"Throwing knives and daggers. Simple, cunning. They're an art as well, but not considered a fair battle by some people, I warn. Here. Hold it like this." Elrohir puts daggers into each of our hands. I'm pretty sure I'm holding it right, and Sarah sinks hers into a log set out on the floor.

"You weren't supposed to stab anything yet!" Elrohir is really frustrated right now. She probably shouldn't have done that.

"Relax, she's good. Besides, none of them seem to need training." Elladan sighs. "Well, I guess that's all I can teach you guys." Sarah looks proud of herself, and Caro looks flattered and also shy.

"Dan, we're supposed to give them the weapons, remember?" Elrohir says.

"Oh, right. Go grab whatever." I snag a white, simply carved longbow and a pale sword with a gray-banded hilt. Arrows too, I think. A quiver full of white pine arrows, with green feathers match my bow perfectly, and they've got beautiful writing on the shaft. I pick them up and sling them over my shoulder, tuck the sword into my sheath, and set off. Caro grabbed throwing knives and a sword, and Sarah grabbed a pair of long knives, like the kind you tuck into boots, and a bow. The first thing I should have done is go research a bit, but that didn't occur to me. I want to get acquainted with the rest of my fellowship. I already know the hobbits, simple enough. Aragorn is off with Arwen (gag me with a spoon), and I have no idea where Gimli is. But I saw Boromir out at the weapons hall, and Legolas was out in the woods. I strongly favor being friends with people who I know will live, and with Boromir that's a maybe. So as somebody who's naturally attracted to woods and forests and trees... I head to the weapons hall.

It never once occurred to me that Boromir would look nothing like the movie's Boromir, and certainly not for the worse. Striking, young, dark haired, and muscular, with a face that any other guy would kill for. Oh, goodness. I'm lost for words, as he swings his sword at pieces of wood and slices them cleanly, using his shield for balance and leverage. I admire his expertise.

"I see you're here, She-elf." He nods toward me as I stand in the doorway, and he stops for a second.

"Suilad, Boromir." Elvish? Where did that come from?

"Wish to duel?" He grins, glancing at my sword.

"Why ever not?" My sentence structure is getting me. I smile a little bit, however. I pull out my sword and run for him. He blocks my first cut, trying to disarm me. I switch hands, and slice at his shield arm.

"Better than you look, m'lady," he says.

"Damn good, according to the twins." I flip the sword out of his hand while he isn't looking. "If you were an orc, you'd be dead." I beam proudly.

"Thank goodness I'm not."

"It'd be a shame to lose a member of the company so soon." I blush. Oh god, I can't be turning into a lovesick puppy for Boromir.

"I think that's enough training for today." He puts his shield on a rack and put his sword in his sheath. "After all, you don't need it."

"Neither do you." I shrug. I put my sword back in its place and walk out, heading back for my room, so that I can talk to Caro and Sarah. I push open Caro's door. She's reclining on her bed reading.

"Have you noticed that we all speak differently now that we're here? Our grammar is proper." Caro seems a bit freaked out, and I notice the book she's reading is in Elvish, and I can understand it. Great. We're turning into even bigger elves.

"You can...read that, can't you?" I say quizzically.

"Yes. You can, right?"

"...Yes."

"Cool. Let's ask Sarah. By the way, you wouldn't believe the history here. It's so cool. Like, there's these two star crossed lovers and she's the most beautiful elf and he's this brave man, and together they help take the Silmarils back from an evil dude. Anyway, do your reading." Caro seems so happy that I couldn't pop her bubble now and explain the Silmarillion to her.

"That's really sweet! Anyway, let's check up on Sarah. I'm pretty sure she's found herself food and is also probably looking for wifi. News flash, there isn't any here." I said. We both walk out, and open Sarah's door. She has set up some apples swinging from the windowpane on thread, so they sway and make good target practice. One hits dead in the center.

"Dude, you could have messed up my shot. See this? Absolute genius. Legolas said to try it. He used to do it when he was little." Sarah puts her bow down and flops onto the bed.

"You ran into Legolas?" I ask.

"You ran into the hot guy?" Caro asks.

"Yes, and yes. Anyway, he gave me some tips on archery. I think I've got it. Look out, um, what's the guy's name? Sour-on?"

"Sauron. But yeah, that's not our quest, Sarah. Later on, Sam and Frodo split off and go to Mordor on their own to take on Sauron. Our main concern is going to be Saruman, the orcs of Mordor, and any other miscellaneous opposition. I guess maybe we can try to leave with Sam and Frodo, but I don't think it will go that way." Sarah should be doing more reading than Carolina. Sure, she's intelligent, but she has no clue about where we are or what we'll do.

"Oh. I mean, those orcs then. They better watch out." Sarah giggles. Caro rolls her eyes.

"Sarah, you are probably the most likely to die after, well, should we tell her about...?" Caro glances at me, asking if we should tell her about Boromir.

"Umm... Sarah? Boromir, he, ah, he dies. Well, I don't know if he will with us around, but in the canonverse, he does. We can try and stop it, but he gets shot with poisonous arrows by some orc a lot of times next to a lake trying to save the hobbits. Anyway, if we can help it he won't, but..." I blush a little. Oh, the perks of having a crush on a character you know will die.

"You've seen him since last night, didn't you?" Caro raises an eyebrow.

"Dayna and Boromir, sittin' in a tree.." Sarah starts singing.

"Oh, god, stop." I facepalm. "Anyway, Sarah, if you die on us, I will make damn sure to avenge you in some appropriate manner. Same for you too, Caro." I hug them. I'm actually really scared for them, and for myself. Sure, they're good, but that doesn't mean they live.

"I'm not afraid." Caro whispers.

"I am. I'll say it." Sarah says quietly.

"Me too." I agree. A sinking feeling in my chest tells me that maybe we won't make it. Maybe none of us, maybe one of us, maybe all of us will come back. But remembering the blood and pain of all that happens, I can't say anything for sure.

"We're leaving tomorrow morning, huh?" Caro says.

"Yeah. And it's already the evening." I groan. We're running out of time in Imladris.

"No sweat. We're ready enough, I guess." Sarah says. She doesn't know what's in store.

"Right. I think we'll be good enough." I lie through my teeth. I don't feel ready at all. In fact, I've never been so ill-prepared in my life.

"Besides, if we aren't there's four hobbits who don't even use their weapons right, so they're bound to make us look good." Caro says cheerfully.

"Yeah. Imagine how many times we'll have to save their asses!" I smile. "I'm craving food, even though I'm not actually hungry. Let's go find something that tastes good." Oh, it's great being an elf.

"Sure." Sarah smiles. "Do they have chocolate?"

We all make a mad dash for the kitchen. They do not, in fact, have chocolate, but they do have every imaginable variety of cake, with beautiful icing, perfect, perfect consistency and moistness. We each eat at least three giant pieces of cake with berries on top. And then we hit up the pastries, jam filled and flaky, and I swear we eat so many we could feed Africa. And then we eat more cake. And to wash it down, we drink some sweet nectar-y juice. Our sugar hangover ends with us laying on my bedroom floor, stomachs full of cake and pastry, at about ten o'clock at night.

"Cake." Caro moans.

"Cake." I agree.

"Dude, we're gonna get fat." Sarah laughs.

"Nope. Elves don't get fat." I say, very matter-of-fact.

"Sweet." Sarah says.

"Like cake." Caro adds. We all sort of fall asleep, right there, on my floor, completely forgetting our quest the next day.

Chapter 4

Time to Go

"So I see you've slept in." Aragorn is leaning on an open door, looking at my friends and I as we lay on the floor. Arwen is standing next to him, scarcely holding in her laughter. "Get up or you'll miss the entire departure altogether."

"Oh, god, my head. Sarah, Caro, get up." I tap Caro's shoulder and poke Sarah's face.

"Christ, what..." Caro looks up. "We slept on the floor. I can't believe this." She stands up, and Sarah sits up.

"Dude, you're Eragon, right?" Sarah looks over at Aragorn.

"Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Ranger of the north." I say, with appropriate respect in my voice.

"Whatever. What should we bring?" Sarah says. Aragorn sighs and Arwen leaves.

"Winter gear, the kind that was in your room, an extra set of clothes, all your weaponry, and anything else that seems appropriate. We're heading for Mordor, so it seems like a good idea to bring extra canteens, any medical supplies, anything that might help." Aragorn says. "Get dressed and meet out by the steps." He leaves.

"You heard the man." I grin. "Go get dressed and pack your stuff." The pair silently leave, and I grab a burlap backpack (or the Middle Earth equivalent, I guess) and stuff my winter clothes and my other tunic and leggings into it. I tug on my leather boots and put my other pair in my pack. Slipping on my belt and scabbard, tossing my bow and quiver over my back, and grabbing a canteen, I set off. I grab Caro and Sarah, and we're all shaking. I understand the fate I'm embracing. I can feel it, the hope running through my veins, along with a sense of fear, and a healthy dose of knowing what's to come. I step with purpose to the same stairs I walked on three days ago, before I even knew what was going to happen. Gandalf, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn are waiting.

"M'ladies, I see you're here. The hobbits have yet to come." Legolas nods to Sarah, and he gently smiles. Sarah returns it. Dang, girl.

"Hobbits." I say. As if on cue, the hobbits tumble down the stairs, Frodo taking up the rear. Poor guy. I know what's going to happen to him.

"We must go. Frodo, lead us." Gandalf begins walking on the path we came, but taking the course through Rivendell so we go to the other end. Ahead, the road forks.

"Gandalf? Which way to Mordor?" Frodo murmurs. I'm standing next to him, protecting him, I guess. I always liked the little guy, and felt like he needed defending.

"Left." Gandalf whispers. Frodo leads us on the left fork, and we walk on, all 12 of us. We're in the section of foothills of the Misty Mountains that's in Hollin for the first week, and we can make it through from morning to night. In the evenings, Sam would cook, Caro, Sarah, and I would talk (especially Sarah with Legolas, however), Gandalf, Gimli, and Aragorn would chat and smoke their pipes, Legolas would dramatically stare into the distance, and Boromir would train the hobbits to fight. I remember the great relationship between Merry and Pippin with Boromir, and I know I've got to save Boromir. Middle Earth would be a better place with a nice guy like him, and I also sorta like him. Just sorta, okay? Sheesh.

One evening when we stop, we're going about our business, and Legolas starts flipping out.

"Crabine! Crabine from Dunland!" he screams. And that's when I notice the giant flock of black spy birds soaring at us against the wind.

"Hide!" cries Aragorn. I duck under a scrub, watching carefully above for them to be gone. Soon enough, there isn't a bird in sight, and I crawl back out from my bush.

"Spies of Saruman!" hisses His Royal Grayness. "Our passage is being watched. We cannot take the Gap of Rohan! It will draw us too close to Isengard."

"Gandalf, what other path do we take? If not the Gap, where? Carahdras will be snowed in soon, and Moria is out of the question." I tremble when I say Moria. Have I ever mentioned that I intensely loathe caves, balrogs, orcs, goblins, and caves? I actually went on a field trip to a cave once when I was little and I had a panic attack, and when I went to Carlsbad Caverns when I was three I screamed the entire time. I can't stand caves or enclosed spaces with dank, foul air, dark secrets, vast sinkholes, and no sky. Sorry, I'm a claustrophobe.

"We have no choice but Carahdras, Dayna. We must do it." Gandalf says. The majority of the company seems to agree with me, but Gandalf is still mama duck. "We make for the mountain pass." he says.

"Gandalf is right. 'Tis better to face snow than the wrath of the White Wizard." Aragorn says. Did anybody ask you, Heir of Elendil? Nope, I didn't think so. Still, I guess it must be done for the sake of following the plot.

"It shall be done." Sarah says. Frodo looks very out of it, like he's indecisive. Boromir looks as irritated as me, though. Well, I'd be damn irritated if I was told to go on the path that leads to my death. Legolas is still staring dramatically, though at Sarah this time. Gag me with a spoon if those two become a thing. Still, I'm happy for her. Elf for elf, it's not a bad pairing. It's better than me falling for somebody who will die eventually, and the elf chick lives on. Ugh, how am I going to handle that, living forever while all the rest of the non-elven fellowship dies? At least Sarah's going to have someone.

"Tomorrow morning, we make for Carahdras." Frodo says, as if he's snapped out of it. Poor little guy. That night, I don't sleep easy. By the way, the sleeping arrangement in order from left to right is Gandalf, Aragorn, Sam, Caro, Frodo, Gimli, Sarah, Legolas, Pippin, Boromir, Merry, and then me. We sort of formed barriers around the hobbits, protecting them like little siblings. Kinda sweet, instinctual, I guess. So after a good night's sleep literally on rocks, and some breakfast (small, to some of the hobbits' chagrin) we set out.

"Sarah, we're on mountains. It's cold, so put your cloak on." Legolas says. He's being protective, even though since she's an elf, she's just as resistant to cold as him.

"Put yours on first." She shoves him, and they laugh. I walk past the happy couple, and go to Boromir.

"Cold yet?" I smile.

"Not quite, but I've got my cloak and vest out for when it is. Won't be long, snow will come before nightfall." he says.

"I'm already feeling it in the wind." A snowflake lands on my arms, still in a short sleeved tunic. A few more swirl around, and soon it's full on snowing. Sarah, Caro, and I are south Texas natives, so we don't see snow. It's more like little slushies on the floor for a few hours when we say we have snow, which is around every four years. This snow is like a fine powder or dust, maybe, covering all it touches, kissing eyelashes and eyebrows with white. I like this snow, and I don't really feel cold. Ah, my elvish-ness is great. Soon, the snow is at the rest of the fellowship's knees, but Legolas, Sarah, Caro, and I are walking on the snow. Sarah and Legolas are sharing a cloak. Oh my god, Sarah. Really? It's only been a few weeks, what about Garrett, your wonderful, faithful boyfriend? I watch as Aragorn and Boromir pick up the hobbits to carry. Really, it shouldn't be so snowy. After an afternoon of the snow getting higher, we're at the top of the mountain. It isn't snowing up here, just clear and blue. Ice is growing here, and it's way below freezing. As we're walking, Frodo trips in the snow. Aragorn picks him back up.

"Oh...Where's the...the Ring!" Frodo says, feeling around his neck. I notice Boromir walking to it in the snow. I hold him back.

"Boromir, let Frodo get the Ring. Greater men have been undone by less." I say to him. Frodo goes forward and retrieves it.

"Wise woman, you are." Aragorn says.

"It is not wisdom to let only the ring bearer touch it, but cautionary." I say. We walk on, and Legolas and Sarah are holding hands. I'm not even revolted anymore. Caro walks alone, I notice. I stride up to her.

"You okay? Look kinda lonely." I say.

"Yeah. You've been busy with the whole quest thing, Sarah is busy with Legolas, and I've got nobody. That's all," she says.

"You can talk to me whenever. And besides, the hobbits are pretty cool. You should get to know Merry and Pippin." I smile at her, and she halfheartedly returns it.

"Yeah." She keeps walking, leaving me behind. I don't want to lose a friend, but I'm afraid I've done it. I keep walking silently alongside Boromir. We finally start climbing down this mountain, and the snow gets deep again.

"We can't continue on this way." Gandalf says. I'm honestly getting a bit tired of him.

"Gandalf, we could pass through Moria." Gimli says. "My cousin would give us a royal welcome."

"We should make for the Gap of Rohan." Boromir says surely.

"Let the ringbearer decide." Gandalf says.

"We will pass through Moria." Frodo says.

"So be it." Gandalf says, with a look like he's just received a death sentence. Spoiler: he has. Don't worry though, he comes back. We head south, through really rocky mountains, for about a week, before reaching a lake, with the gates of Khazad-Dûm. That's where we camp for the last time with fresh air before my impending panic and doom.


	4. Chapter 4

That evening, Sam starts a small fire, and he cooks dinner too. Frodo gets moody and wanders around and broods near the lake. Aragorn leans on some driftwood near the fire, smoking a pipe with Gandalf. That's something they do a lot of. Boromir sits with Merry and Pippin, telling jokes and playing around with them. Gimli joins them in their merrymaking, and Sarah and Legolas lean on a tree, holding hands, and Sarah is carving the tree. I sit with Caro on some rocks, watching it all from a distance.

"Caro, you know what this means, right?" I ask.

"Yup. I don't like it."

"I'm deadly scared of caves. Like, I need a paper bag and a blanket and some tea to get me to calm down after an ordeal with a cave." I say.

"Three days in that hole. And then we come out with no Gandalf." Caro murmurs.

"Stupid idea. Stupid, stupid." I sigh. "How are we going to do it? So many orcs and trolls, and then the balrog." I say.

"I don't know. Three days." Caro says softly. We're both really nervous, but everybody else seems fairly calm. Caro walks off and sits with Aragorn and Gandalf, expressing her concern, but I go sit next to Boromir. He's telling a joke to Merry and Pippin about some song about a cat. I sigh and plop down, criss-cross-applesauce like in preschool.

"Hey, you." Boromir grins and pokes my arm. I laugh, disguising my anxiety.

"How are you?" I say.

"I don't know. I feel that Moria will be a mistake, and something will happen there that will change everything." He's right, but I can't tell him.

"I feel it too. I'm also a bit scared of caves, so I'm really not liking this." I shiver a bit, more out of fear than cold. He takes off his large wool cloak and drapes it over my shoulders. It's soft, and warm, and dry. It also smells like earth, but comforting and gentle. "Thank you." I say.

"M'lady, anything." he says. Jesus. How am I supposed to take this?

"Supper's ready, if you don't mind me sayin' so." Sam says. Frodo begins to wander back over, and I munch on some flat bread he's made along with some smoked pork. Hey, Legolas is eating it. It must be fine. Being wrapped in the cloak and eating a hot meal has calmed me down a bit, and it seems so for everybody else. We abandon our traditional sleeping order and set our bedding out in a circle around the fire. Sarah and Legolas sleep side by side, sort of cuddling through their sleeping bags. I sleep next to Boromir, but not too close. That would be way too awkward. Caro sleeps between Sam and Frodo, like their mom or something. I really could care less about everyone else, but I stay up and watch the embers of the campfire burn out, little glowing chunks of flame, and then ash. Eventually, sleep smacks me in the face, but I don't think I slept very long before one of the hobbits began poking my face.

"Wake up, Dayna!" Merry screams in my face. Sure, they're pretty adorable, but they're annoying, those hobbits. Pippin is pulling my hair, and Merry continues poking me.

"Get off me! Guys, there's a better way to wake people up." I say.

"Show us then." Pippin says.

"Fine," I say. "We will wake up...let's see. Aragorn is still asleep. Let's do it." I creep over to where Aragorn is sleeping. "First, be as quiet as you can." I whisper. They nod, beaming. "Second, don't touch them. Some people don't like being touched, and I wouldn't test that. Last, scream really loudly right at them, just like you did to me, Merry. Got it? I won't take any blame for this, so let me get back to my sleeping bag and pretend I'm asleep, okay? I'll be watching though." I say, tiptoeing back to my bedding. I slip back under my blankets, and wait for the fun to begin. Watching discretely, I see Merry and Pippin slowly lean over him and open their mouths. The loudest sounds I could imagine come out, and then Aragorn screams and grabs his sword. The pair of hobbits start laughing hysterically, everybody else is woken up, and Aragorn looks like he's about to have a heart attack.

"What in Eru?" Aragorn says. The hobbits, at this point, are crying on the floor laughing. Well done. I sit up and look around. It's a rainy day, and I love rain. If only I could stay outside the mine.

"Well, we must get going." Gandalf says. He stands up and gets his things together. The rest of us do the same, except for Frodo, who leaves it to Sam. It kinda seems a bit like he's being a jerk, but I remember the Ring and all he's been through, so I excuse him. After some dried fruit and leftover bread, we head to the gates. We'd camped on the other side of the lake, over a cliff, so we were in a good lookout position. We walked around the lake, and Merry and Pippin were throwing rocks. I leaned over and whispered to them.

"Do not disturb the water." They nodded and set down their pebbles. We keep walking around, and the wall the gate is on is there. I run my hands along the granite. Blue glowing arches etch themselves along the stone.

"Speak, friend, and enter." Gandalf says. "The doors of Durin."

"I know the password." I smile and step forward. "Mellon." I command loudly. The doors open, and we seamlessly enter the mine. No sea creatures or anything, but the door shuts behind us. I begin hyperventilating.

"Oh- Eru- guys- let's- go," I say between breaths. I begin to sob, and have a panic attack and collapse, kneeling on the floor with my head buried in my hands. It's completely dark, even though I can hear everybody. Gandalf lights his staff, and cue skeletons. I can't handle it. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and the familiar cape lands on my back. I slow down my breathing, getting back in control. I stand back up, still wrapped in the soft cloak, and I watch everybody else's reaction of shock, excluding Caro and I.

"This is no mine. It's a tomb." I mumble between my panicky breaths.

"We have no choice. We must now face the long dark of Moria." Oh, let there be a choice. Let me have the rain and snow for a thousand years before darkness and flame. I curl the cloak tighter around myself. Caro takes her hood off and gives it to Frodo. She's growing very fond of Sam and him, and they like her just as much. She's gentle, and kind to Frodo. She'll understand better than almost anybody. Sarah and Legolas are close, but neither look as scared I probably do. Aragorn and Gimli are standing on either side of Gandalf, looking around. I know Gandalf has been here before and Gimli's familiar with the way dwarves build mines. After all, he's from Erebor, so he'll know the layout. Aragorn is just good for everything, so he's always up front. Merry and Pippin are clinging to Gandalf's cape, like scared little kids. I wish I could do that, but at least I have Boromir's cloak. Very calming, soothing. Feels like home. We begin walking, descending and ascending flights upon flights of stairs, and making some turns I'm sure Gandalf will regret. However, I know no better than he does. Lead on, gray dude.

Because we can't tell the time, we just stop when we find a large chamber when we're sufficiently exhausted. Since fire in a cave is a bad idea, Sam doesn't have any cooking to do and our evening smoking festival is off. We also don't have any supply of water in the mine, so I conservatively sip some from my canteen. It's got a good taste, I suppose from the special elven container, even though it's just melted snow. Conversation is hushed and anxious for everybody, and I'm so scared I can barely choke down the ration of cram Legolas insisted everybody eat. The hobbits fall asleep, Boromir, Aragorn, and Gimli set up their sleeping bags, and Gandalf leans on a stone and dozes. Sarah and Legolas go to bed, and then Caro next to Sam and Frodo again, and I set out my sleeping bag and crawl inside. However, even though I hear everybody snoring, I can't bring myself to fall to sleep as I stare at the cave ceiling. What if orcs find us? What if the cave crumbles? So many things could happen and they're sleeping. Hours of tossing and turning and listening pass and finally people begin to wake, starting with Gandalf. I'm so tired I can't walk straight, but I manage to drag myself out of the blankets and help wake the hobbits up.

"Merry? Pippin?" I say, poking their stomachs. "Time to go." Merry yawns and sits up, and Pippin swats at me with his tiny hands.

"Breakfast first." murmurs Pip, from his face buried in the pillow.

"Nope. We've got to go as soon as we can." I help them both up, and pack their miniature blankets and pillows into their bags. I do the same for my stuff, and I check my sword. Still sharp, still good. Looking for frays in the bowstring, I notice a thin engraving on the side. 'For Luthien Tinuveil,' it says. This was her bow. I can't understand why Elrond would so willingly give it up. I carefully put it over my shoulder so it's easily accessible. We begin walking silently, and suddenly, the tunnel opens up to a giant labyrinth of columns.

"Behold. The great dwarf city of Dwarrodelf." Gandalf says.

"It's...beautiful." I say. I had wanted to be an architect for a long time, so I knew a lot about structure, and let me tell you, this was amazing. Looking at the stone pillars, the ornate carving, and the floor even, I can tell there was a lot of work here. Of course, Gimli notices a side room flooded with light containing the tomb of his cousin. Oops. He sprints towards it and bursts the door, and of course we all chase him.

"No...No!" He says, setting his helmet on top of the stone casket.

"Here lies Balin, son of Hundin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then." Gandalf takes off his hat and gives it to Pippin, who is wandering about the little chamber. Oh, man. I can't help what happens next. Pippin knocks the skeleton resting next to a well into the well, and thudding clanks, loud bangs, and thundering crashes resound throughout pretty much the entire mine. I cringe with every bang. Drums begin, and a faint shrieking of goblins reverberates throughout. Crap. Crap, crap, crappity crap.

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf cries. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity." And then we see the lights outside the door and Boromir, Aragorn, and I put axes and boards in front of it to keep them out. We all draw our swords, and Legolas readies his bow. The orcs start ramming against the giant wooden pair of doors, and I shiver with every crash. Sarah is standing on a platform, taking aim. She shoots a few through cracks in the door, and the doors then shove themselves open. A swarm of orcs push through. I sort of have a party, because even though war is bad, it's fun to have an orc slaying contest and show off my moves. I'm enjoying the adrenaline when the orcs are nearly all gone... and there's the cave troll. I slash at its ankles while Legolas climbs up its back. Aragorn is trying to take it head-on, and Boromir is protecting the hobbits. It beats me what Gandalf is doing (probably smoking his flippin' pipe) but he isn't fighting with us. Suddenly, the troll moves to the corner where Frodo is hiding, and Aragorn goes with it. Commence scene with Frodo getting stabbed and showing us his mithril, and we run!

Everything seemed like a blur. We're being chased by orcs, but then the orcs are gone and there's a balrog. The balrog's chasing us, and then Gandalf falls into a pit, screaming "Fly, you fools," unlike in the film, where he dramatically hung on the edge. Yeah. This makes more sense, actually. And the we're out of Moria. I know, it shouldn't go this fast, but in my head, I was so adrenaline-rushed that that's all I really remember. The second we get out of the hellhole, I black out in the snow. I guess everybody was pretty sad around me, but I remember passing out.


	5. Chapter 5

When I woke up, I was being carried and wrapped in a blanket. Honestly I felt pretty guilty, and I know other girls might pull the 'damsel in distress' card, but I told Boromir to put me down right away, thank you very much. We were in the downward traveling hills of the Misty Mountains, and just outside Lothlorien. I liked this. A lot. Woods came in sight, and I began to laugh and smile again as we talked. I played little games with Merry and Pippin (I taught them I Spy) and while they seemed pretty down, I guess my upbeat attitude kinda made them feel better. I also managed to talk to Sarah and whisper to her that Gandalf is in fact going to come back, but she couldn't say a thing about it. She agreed. Plains made way to scrub, scrub to trees, trees to woods, and, well, I noticed the company grow anxious.

Caro clutched Frodo and Sam tightly to her side. Legolas and Sarah held hands a bit tighter. Merry and Pippin clung to Boromir, and Gimli held his axe. The only calm people were Aragorn and I.

"They say an elf witch lives in these woods, of great and terrible power." Gimli muttered to Frodo and Sam. "All who see her fall under her spell." I sensed the other elves, thank you very much, but I guess they didn't care that there were four flipping elves in the company. I was staring down the shaft of an arrow anyway. However, rather than arguing, I hold my head up in pride.

"You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood. Come." Haldir! Ah, I love that pointy eared bastard.

"Haldir of Lorien, we seek refuge." I say. I know he and Aragorn are friends, but I have a feeling that when you mess with his forest he gets serious. He doesn't seem to have much problem with us, thank goodness. But he looks a bit miffed at Gimli's presence. He beckons for us to follow him, but first of course we're blindfolded so we can't find the way to his stupid city. It feels like eternity that we're walking, but eventually he rips the blindfolds off.

Lothlorien is beautiful. Silver trees with yellow blossoms flourish everywhere. Stairs spiral around trees leading to a canopy of houses and elegant verandas. Little lights twinkle in the treetops, sparkling in the night. I did not expect this. We climb some of the spiral stairs onto a grand platform with beautiful arches and a good view of the forest. Thank goodness I'm not scared of heights because we're about one hundred feet off the forest floor. Caro, however, is. She looks down at the ground and backs away.

Then I see Galadriel and Celeborn step down a set of stairs, wearing matching robes, staring dramatically. I once told Caro that on days when I thought I was pretty, I'd see a picture of Galadriel on the internet or something, and I'd suddenly feel like she was so beautiful that I could never compare. To that, I hold. Silver and gold hair that practically glowed cascaded down past her waste in gentle waves. Her skin was like porcelain. Did she even have pores? And her eyes. They were like oceans, immeasurably deep and terrifying, but also like you just wanted to dive into them and see all that she saw. They're giant too, like her entire face is eyes and white. I can't believe it. Her husband is also really handsome, in a dad kind of way. Strong jaw, good nose, and long silver hair. His eyes are grey, like a storm. Kind of scary, actually. But as terrifying as he seems, I sense that she (Galadriel) is much stronger and wiser, and also more worthy of my fear.

Aragorn looks away, but most of us are sort of hypnotized by them. They're glowing. Literally glowing.

"Twelve there were set out from Rivendell, yet eleven here stand. Tell me, where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him." Celeborn says. Suddenly, I hear a voice in my head. She's probing me.

"Where is he?" The voice asks. She isn't harsh, but not exactly delicate.

"A balrog, in the mines of Moria. He fell with it, and I don't know from there." I think.

"Thank you." The voice says, and then I hear a door shut. It's gone.

"He has fallen, into shadow." Galadriel says. She starts glaring at Frodo, and then Boromir. "The company is balanced on the edge of a knife, yet hope remains while the company is true." She glances at Sam and smiles. He's holding onto Caro's hand. Little cutie pie.

"He loves you." The voice is back.

"Who?" I think, knowing fully well who she's referring to.

"The young captain. You've captured his heart. I think I see why. You're brave, intelligent. Not exceptionally open, a bit shy. But you're a fighter, and you're also defensive. You also have very big dreams of what you want to be. Much like him as well, I note." The voice says.

"That's what I fear." I think, but I don't mean for her to see that.

"I know that you have an idea, or thought you knew, what was to come. You cannot see all ends now that you're in the game, however. You're scared out of your wits, but you're holding on for the young little ones and Boromir." She's so right that I can't even handle it anymore.

"Yes." I think.

"I cannot imagine a single nation or alliance that would lose with someone as noble as you, young one." She's flattering me. I'm not sure I believe her.

"I can't do this. I'm scared and I don't know a thing. I've known everything all my life, and now it's all gone." I think at her.

"You're better than you think. Keep hope. By the way, the entire forest is open to you. Feel free to rest." She leaves. It's funny, when she leaves you can hear her skirt swish on the floor and a door shut.

"Galadriel told me we could rest and explore the forest if we want." I notice that she's already gone, walked away. "I think we should find somewhere to stay. We'll be here for a while anyway." I say.

"I have visited the golden wood once. My father and I stayed in a loft, judging by where we are now, in a tree a short distance to the right of the one we're in now." Legolas nods.

"Does it have room for us all?" Aragorn says.

"Yes. It's built like a house in the tree, with enough space for everyone. There is also baths." Legolas confirms. Good. I'm feeling very grungy at the moment, and I think washing my current tunic and putting on my blue one seems like a good idea.

"Lead the way." Sarah says. Legolas takes us down the stairs, and Caro is so afraid when we're climbing down. Poor thing. Soon enough, the ivory spiral stairs make way for ground, and Legolas leads us down a deer trail through brush. Pushing aside little ferns and bushes, Legolas reveals another set of stairs, this time with the destination concealed by the boughs and limbs of the tree. Looking up, the lights hang on little threads from the branches, tiny twinkling vials giving off starlight. I reach out and touch one as we climb the stairs. They're twice as long as the one that we had been on before, quite a hike. Soon, a door carved into the center of the trunk ends the stairs. Aragorn tugs it open, revealing a large and round sitting room with a sofa and some chairs, a little table, and some very nice tapestries on the wall. No fireplace, I note, but in a tree that would be a bit impractical. A set of stairs leading down is in the corner of the room. We all climb down, and there are four floors, each with a bedroom except the bottom, a bathroom with real plumbing.

"Well done, Legolas." I smile at him.

"Ladies, you can have the room in the middle. The men will take the room in the top. Hobbits, you can have the room on the bottom." Aragorn divides our room assignments wisely as we climb the stairs back up to the sitting room. Nobody has any qualms, and I think Aragorn is sizing up to be a decent leader. Gimli sits on one of the chairs, though he has to climb to get on. Short people, I think. Frodo stays back, clinging to Caro's cape with Sam. I hope she goes with them, because it would absolutely tear them up, and Caro would certainly help all ends. Aragorn sits on the sofa, and Legolas and Sarah sit next to him. Boromir takes a chair, and the hobbits find some stools in the corner. I flop into the remaining seat, and Caro sits cross legged next to the hobbits.

"Where do we go next?" I say.

"We'll make for Nen Hithoel, and then, we will head through Mordor from Emyn Muil." Aragorn answers.

"Aren't they the rocky hills of no return?" Caro says.

"The path we must take. After, there is the Dead Marshes, and then we must pass through the Black Gate." Aragorn says. Wow, certain death. I'm fairly sure that if we follow Aragorn's plan, not only we will die, but half of Rohan and then all of Minas Tirith will die. I know that's the path Frodo and Sam take, but eleven people versus two is a difference. We'll never make it undetected.

"How do we plan to make it through without being seen by orcs, spies, Nazgul, and Sauron himself?" I really should stop poking holes in his plan.

"Disguise, stealth." He says slowly.

"I'm hungry." Pippin says. "Do you think the Lady will have any food?"

"I don't know where it is, but usually they bring you food. I'm sure soon somebody will come." Legolas says. Easy for him to say, being an elf and all, he doesn't have to eat like they do. As if on cue, there's a knock on the door. Two elves stand at the door as Legolas opens it.

"The Lady told us to bring you food." A timid young elf boy, definitely about twelve or thirteen, is holding a platter with a lid on it. Another girl, slightly older, stands behind him holding another plate with a giant canteen slung over her shoulder.

"Thank you. Give the Lady my gratitude, and I am really sorry you had to climb those stairs." Legolas nods. The kids start running down the stairs, and he shuts the door.

"What is it then? How much for each?" Merry can barely contain his excitement at a hot meal. Legolas takes off the cover.

"Some hot vegetables, fresh bread, and some cooked potatoes." Legolas nods. I remember that elves don't eat meat, and the hobbits seem a bit crestfallen.

"What's in the sling?" I say, remembering that elves had some trippy drinks. Legolas drips a bit on his finger and licks it.

"Sweet wine." He smiles, and so does most of the company, but Caro and I cringe. We don't like alcohol at all. The taste and the way it dries my mouth is frankly not to my taste.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Merry and Pippin get up and eat some off of a plate that's in a corner cabinet, and everyone else follows. I sit on the floor, simply because it's got a really good view of the window. The yellow blossoms in the tree are enchanting, and the twinkling lights are beautiful. I could stare at them forever, but at the moment I'm too busy stuffing my face with the best vegetables ever. Boromir sits next to me, but I assume he's done eating, because his plate is sitting over on one of the little tables.

"It's beautiful here." I say.

"It's...unsettling." He says.

"What for? The Lady's mind reading?" I ask, concerned. I remember what she told me. 'He loves you.'

"Yes. She spoke of my father, and the fall of Gondor. He is a noble man, but of late... his rule hasn't been the most fitting." No, Boromir, your dad is completely bonkers and batshit crazy.

"I know. She spoke to me of how I must keep hope, even though it seems gone." I say.

"She said the same to me. She said, there is always hope, and I can't see it. Everything will fall around us." He sounds so sad, the usually brave and happy man cracking without anybody he has to stay for.

"She told me something else too." I murmur.

"What?" He genuinely sounds curious.

"Love. She told me of love, from somebody in particular." I hint.

"She asked what I thought of you because she said she saw the way I looked at you."

"Was she right?"

"I believe so. Do you return the sentiment?"

"Yes. I'm afraid to give it. I'm an... an elf. I'll have to live forever." I won't sacrifice eternal life for a guy. Nope, nope, nope. Not going to. Still, I can't help but think about it. "But I trust you, and I do love you, and if I could I would live with you forever." I say. He slips his hand onto mine. I hold it, gently. So we sit on the floor, staring at the tree, holding hands, for what feels like eternity.

"Dayna, they said girls were to bathe first, and you're next. Sarah and I both already took a bath." Caro taps my shoulder. "Dayna?"

"Okay. I'll be back, okay?" I nod at Boromir, standing up. I make my way down to the bath and note the soapy, clean smell. It's refreshing. The bath has hot, running water, and I soak in the water for an eternity. Looking at the bathwater, it's a grungy dust color. I empty it out and fill it again. Washing my hair with a oatmeal-smelling liquid in a glass bottle, I finish up and wrap myself in a woven cream colored towel. God, I didn't bring any clean clothes. One wall of the bathroom is just cupboards and shelves, and thankfully there are a few night dresses and robes. I pick up a sage green robe and put it on, then look in the mirror, which I haven't had any access to since arriving in Arda. I'm certainly different than I used to be. For one, my eyes that were already pretty big are now even more shocking by being a bright emerald. My skin is a clean white, free from the blemishes and splotches that previously plagued me. My button nose is now a bit sharper, and my tiny lips are a bit thicker, a bit wider. I look a lot more, well, beautiful, and older as well, closer to 25 in age than 15, like I was back home. I really like it. I walk back up the stairs and go back to the sitting room.

"Boromir, I'm going to bed now. I'm sorta tired." He nods, and kisses my hand.

"Good night." He says. I climb down to the middle level, and open the door. The half-moon shaped room is floored in white and the walls are painted blue. Four twin sized beds (though I'm sure elves don't use standard mattress sizing, that's what they look like) are lined along the wall, with soft down pillows and thick white blankets. A few large windows line the curved wall. Curtains waft in the gentle breeze. I won't have any trouble sleeping here. I climb into the second bed, since Caro is in the first and Sarah in the third. Sleep is like lightning.

When I wake in the morning, the sunlight is drifting through the windows. First, I put on my blue tunic and wash my green one in the bath so it's dry and ready to be packed. I go up for breakfast, and then wander around the woods. Then, before nightfall, I come back and eat, bathe, and go to bed. Most days I bring somebody, Sarah, Caro, Boromir, sometimes with Merry and Pippin too. Three weeks pass like this, and soon one night at dinner Aragorn tells me that we are in fact going to leave the next day. That night, Galadriel comes. She takes Sam, Frodo, Sarah, Caro, and I, and leaves.

"Where are we going?" I ask her in my mind.

"No questions yet." She leads us into a little terrace.

"Wait here." She tells Sam, Caro, Sarah, and I. We sit on the grass, outside the terrace so we can't see or hear her and Frodo. The little guy follows her, and they vanish for a few minutes. Then Frodo comes back, looking a bit shaken. Sam walks down the terrace, coming back in less time than Frodo and crying, but not looking scared. I hear her in my mind again.

"Come, little one. We must speak." I walk down the steps to the terrace and see a fountain, the Mirror, and Galadriel.

"Hello, Dayna." She smiles. She's actually talking with her mouth!

"Hello, m'lady." I nod respectfully.

"Forget the frivolities. Let's talk about something important." She lifts a box off of the ledge of the fountain. "Do you know what these are?" She hands the box to me. I open it, revealing two rings, shaped like vines. They're made of a material that glows, but has a soft silver color. There's a chain of similar material threaded through them both. Mithril.

"Rings. What for, no." I gently feel them in my hand. One is much larger than the other.

"Elven wedding rings, little one." Galadriel says, as if I've just asked if the sun is hot. I gasp.

"What makes you think-"

"Come now. I've looked into your mind. I don't necessarily have to talk to you to see your thoughts. You two love each other. He doesn't have long compared to you. It has to be sooner or later." I flinch when she mentions my immortality compared to his lack thereof.

"I know. But why didn't you give them to him?" I say.

"You've got patience. You'll know when to ask." She shrugs. "Maybe I should tell him for you?" She threatens.

"No, no, no. Bad idea." I say. We both laugh. I used to think she was cold, but I know now that she's just formal most of the time. "Thank you, though. These might come in handy." I grin at her.

"I hope they do. You'd make a beautiful bride, and I think I should be invited to the wedding, you know." I think she's being honest.

"You know, I'm glad we came to Lorien." I say. "Haldir was almost about to make me leave." Galadriel burst out laughing.

"Old coot. He's so serious! Even in his head, no jokes or anything!"

"I thought you were older than him." I say.

"Not at heart, little one. You'll learn as an elf that some people are simply old or young at heart."

"Thank you. I guess I had better go now?" I step back and begin to walk up the stairs.

"I suppose so. You can go back to your rooms. Good luck." She smiles. "By the way, don't pick a garish dress like the one my daughter did. Beautiful wedding, beautiful bride, terrible dress." Oh, right. Galadriel is Arwen's grandmother and Elrond's mother in law. I put on the necklace, and I make my way back through the grass and back into bed. Farewell, twinkles and trees. Farewell, soft bed. Parting is such sweet sorrow. I sleep slowly, wistfully.

Caro and Sarah throw things at my face until I wake up. "Dayna, you have to get up or you'll miss us! The Lady has got boats set out for us so we can travel on the river. Don't want to miss that. Besides, your stuff's all packed." Sarah says as I try and smack her like an alarm clock. Finally, I sit up and get out of bed. Caro leaves quickly.

"Good. Let's get going." Sarah and I ascend the stairs back to the sitting room after we get our things together. Everybody is waiting, and then we leave in silence. The Lady is standing at the foot of our stairs. She wordlessly guides us to the river.

"We give you the gifts of our people." She presents Frodo with the phial. "I give you the light of our most beloved star, for you when all other lights go out." She pulls out some rope. "For you, Sam. You forgot yours." She gives it to him. "And for you all, may you stay warm, hidden." Galadriel gives us each a green-grey cloak with a broach pinned to it. "Farewell. I give you my blessing, and the best of luck." I get in the boat with Merry, Pippin, and Boromir. Sarah, Legolas, and Gimli are in another, and Caro, Aragorn, Sam, and Frodo are in another. Some elves help push us off the shore. Galadriel waves, and I notice Nenya resting on her finger. We say goodbye to Lorien, and I feel the doom as we head for the lake.


	6. Chapter 6

We paddle our boats for the entire day, and sometime late in the afternoon, we pass the Argonath. They're giant statues, one of Elendil and the other of some guy I forgot. You don't get an accurate perception of their size until you've seen them up close. Like, our boat is the size of one's toe. Anyway, they mark the opening of the river Anduin into a giant lake. The lake. Ugh, I've been dreading it. We row the boats back onto the shore on the east side of the lake just as the sun is setting. Sam starts a fire. Oh, god, I'm going to throw up. Frodo wanders off. Boromir says he's going to get firewood. Oh, man. I feel like somebody punched me in the stomach.

"Where's Frodo?" Caro asks.

"Where's Boromir?" I ask. I know where he is. I run the same way that I saw Frodo go, and I begin to freak out. They aren't where they're supposed to be. Nothing is going right, absolutely nothing. I scream in frustration and punch a tree. It burns. I scream, and scream and just kick the tree again. And then I hear it. Boromir's horn. I take off, running towards the sound. There he is, protecting Merry and Pippin, and there's the guy with the crossbow. I have to do this. I sneak up behind crossbow orc, and stab him through with my sword. He turns around and fires in confusion, embedding said arrow in my leg. The orc falls dead with a thud, and I guess that's good and done. However, there is a large arrow sticking out of my left thigh. I notice that my wine colored leggings are now bright cadmium red. I manage to get to a tree, and lie on it, barely sitting up.

I remember my first aid training. 'If there's something lodged in a wound, don't remove it unless it's toxic. It'll make it bleed more.' I don't feel any poison, and it doesn't burn. It just feels like a bruise. I cannot, however, move anything below where I got shot. This is really terrible. I feel my own warm, sticky blood from the wound running down my leg. And I sit there for about twenty minutes. I hear Aragorn, Legolas, Sarah, Boromir, and Gimli. They're looking for me.

"I'm over here. On the hill." I say. "We do have a slight problem, however." I suddenly feel it, sharply. It's like I got stabbed all of the sudden. I gasp. Shooting pain creeps up my leg, and I bite my lip as my eyes water. "Hurry," I say. Sarah runs up and drops to her knees.

"What the hell? You got shot?" She freaks out. "Oh god, none of us are trained, I don't know what to do, oh my god, what did you do?" She looks at the wound and grabs the arrow.

"Don't pull it!" I cry. "It'll bleed out if you pull it. I think it hit an artery." She loosens her grip.

"Dude, you're soaked in blood. I don't think you can bleed any more. Can you move that foot?" I try and wiggle my toes. I can't.

"Nope."

"Does anybody here have any medical training?" Sarah sounds 1000% done.

"Aragorn might know." I shrug, and my leg pulsates pain. I hiss through my teeth.

"Aragorn!" Sarah screams. "Aragorn, come on!" I guess she can't leave, or else something might happen. As if nothing has happened already.

"Where are you?" I hear him in the distance.

"Up the hill, on a path." Sarah yells. "Dayna's got an arrow lodged in her leg." I hear running, leaves rustling. Aragorn pushes aside some bushes, and everybody else is behind him, excluding Caro and the four hobbits.

"Eru, the last thing we need." Legolas sighs.

"Better than having somebody dead." Sarah says, hinting at the potential death of Boromir.

"We need to get you back to the camp. We've got our supplies there, and we'll have enough for now, until we can make it to Minas Tirith." Aragorn says. Sarah pulls me up, and she and Boromir help me half-walk, half-carry me back. Finally, we make it back. It's no more than a quarter mile, but I swear it was worse than a marathon for me. Sarah helps me onto one of the sleeping pads set out.

"Can somebody get some water boiling? We need to clean this out." Sarah says. Everybody looks a little shocked at her request. "Come on, boiled water is clean and will keep it from becoming infected." Legolas gets one of the pots Sam left behind and fills it in the lake. He sets it on the fire.

"I have some herbs from Elrond that may be useful. One will dull the pain." Aragorn offers.

"Yes. This hurts like hell. Hand them over." I say, gritting my teeth. I handle pain surprisingly well most of the time, but I'm really irritable at the moment, mostly because of the huge arrow stuck into my leg. Jesus. Aragorn ruffles through his backpack and pulls out a pouch of some sweet smelling dried leaves.

"Chew on them. The juice is what you need." He hands them to me and I pop them in my mouth. After a few seconds my entire body goes numb. Great. I don't really mind, anything could be better than that searing pain. I notice steam coming out of the pot.

"Sarah, I think the water is ready." I say.

"Right. Does anybody have a spare cloak or tunic or something? We need to stitch this up and bandage it." Sarah says. Legolas rummages through Sarah's bag and pulls out a pale purple tunic.

"Will this do?" he asks.

"Yes. Now cut it into strips." Legolas makes busy work, and Sarah pulls some thread and a needle out of her bag. "We have to clean it first, but yeah, you're going to need stitches. I mean, can't have you doing anything with a gash like that wide open." Sarah says it so nonchalantly, but I'm pretty sure she doesn't even know how to sew.

"I could do it myself. I'm fairly handy with a needle and thread, or at least, good enough." I mumble. The herbs Aragorn gave me are making me drowsy. I shouldn't offer to take my chances and stab my leg again.

"Shouldn't we take the arrow out first?" Gimli asks.

"Not until we absolutely have to. She'll bleed too much." Aragorn counters. He knows enough.

"Yeah, I don't really want to bleed to death. Not ideal." I kid, even though this isn't the time for that.

"The bandages are ready." Legolas says, holding a pile of torn cloth.

"Put them in the boiling water. That'll clean them and make them ready to use." Sarah says. I don't however, particularly want boiling hot tunic on my leg, particularly not with Sarah in charge. Sure, she's my friend, but I wouldn't trust my life with her if it came down to this. I daydream a bit, and Sarah takes the fabric out of the pot. She pulls out the arrow straight in one swift move. Then, I roll my legging up so the wound is open. She uses one little piece of fabric to clean it, and despite the herbs I'm chewing, I can feel the hot water as it sinks in. I cringe and try and pull back.

"Sit back." She says. Boromir holds my hand, and as Sarah continues to clean it out, I grasp his hand tightly in pain. I'm sorry if I broke any fingers, but I'm sort of having my leg boiled. I can't even look down. I'm probably drenched in red. Sarah then sews it up using the needle. I bite my tongue to keep from screaming. Oh, if only we had some anesthesia. It feels like hours even though it's only a few minutes. Sarah finishes the last stitch and cleans my leg off again before tightly binding it in more strips of her shirt. "That should do it."

"I can't move my leg." I dryly state.

"Yeah, well, I guess maybe that'll go away?" Sarah shrugs sheepishly. Oh, I damn well better get to use this leg again.

"And maybe if it doesn't then you'll end up with a sword in your brain." I try and sit up.

"Calm down. You have to relax." Aragorn says. "It won't heal quickly or properly if you're always moving." I lay back and pull my blanket up. I don't feel like eating. I pretend I'm asleep for the time being, and the sun sets. Everybody else goes to sit around the fire and talk.

"That was the last thing we needed. Now we have to chase down those Uruks who've got Merry and Pippin with someone injured. We can't do that," says Legolas.

"What do we do then? Leave them? Leave her?" Boromir asks irritably.

"Send a separate party. Then they can catch up once we find the hobbits and she doesn't have to move too much." Gimli suggests. A brilliant tactical move.

"She won't be able to use that leg until it's fully healed." Sarah mumbles. "It hit not only a major artery, but the main nerve in her leg. Even though none of the rest of her leg is damaged, she won't be able to move or feel anything for a long time."

"We need to get her to Minas Tirith." Aragorn says. "There are many skilled healers there."

"Did you not hear what I said? She can't walk. She can't use that leg. How are we supposed to get her to a city hundreds of miles away if she can't even walk?" Sarah said heatedly.

"Fine. We'll leave her, Boromir, and you, Sarah, and then we'll come back with horses so that we can take her to the city." Aragorn says. At this point I'm ready to roll some heads, because why would I want to miss battles of the likes of Helm's Deep and Pellenor Fields?

"I can fight." I sit up and say. "Give it time and I'll find a way." The pain is coming back, but I grin and bear it.

"You can't fight like this. You can't even walk." Sarah snaps.

"Yes, well, before this I'd never held a sword in my life and look at me now! Look at you. You barely passed the anatomy unit in biology and you've become a healer. Caro had barely ever even left the state, and now she's off helping Sam and Frodo destroy the Ring. I can do this." I'm really tired, but I manage to speak with power.

"If we hurry and get you to Minas Tirith, then maybe they'll help you heal faster." Boromir offered.

"We'll need horses." I say. "I can't walk there."

"We're very close to Rohan. I'm sure the horse lords will be happy to give anything you may need." Aragorn said.

"Sarah, you're willing to stay with me, right?" I murmur.

"Of course. As long as we're both, well, alive, and circumstances permit, I'll stay." Sarah means it. We've been best friends since kindergarten. Not once have we done anything to hurt each other.

"I'll stay as well. We can't just leave two ladies in the wood to fend for themselves. Besides, they know not the way to Minas Tirith." Boromir says.

"Legolas, Gimli, and I will go for Merry and Pippin. What fate has befallen them I know not. But we must rescue them from the orcs." Aragorn declares. "Come, we must leave as soon as we can." Legolas and Gimli begin packing up their things and Legolas kisses Sarah goodbye. They leave the campfire and enough supplies for us. They run off into the woods, the three of them. We'll see them again, I guarantee myself. Besides, I have my two closest friends. Nothing could possibly go wrong.


	7. Chapter 7

I get Sarah to help me move a bit closer to the campfire leaning on a log, since it's fairly cold. We have some lembas bread left from the Lady, and we each take a bite. We have to ration it.

"How are we going to get to Rohan and get horses? We'll need at least two." I say. "I mean, I can't walk there and you can't leave me."

"It's no more than ten miles into the domain of the horse lords, or we can take the river on the remaining boat and reach Minas Tirith at least twice as quickly. From the river Anduin, we can get off at Osgiliath and make our way across Pelennor Field to the city. It's a simpler, faster plan." Boromir says.

"Isn't that a large conflict zone between Gondor and the forces of Mordor?" I ask.

"Yes, technically. However, Faramir, my brother, was left in charge of the outpost, and I have utmost faith in him." I remember what happened there and I must say, while Faramir is a good leader, he did not hold Osgiliath well at all, though no fault of his own. However, it's still winter, so I suppose since the fighting didn't start until early summer, we're fairly safe.

"How long will we be on the river?" Sarah inquires. A major concern.

"No more than a week." Boromir says.

"Let's leave in the morning. The sooner we get there, the better." I'm feeling a lot more confident with this than horses.

"Well, it's been a long day, good night." Sarah says, a bit too gleefully. I see what she's getting at. She thinks Boromir and I need time to talk. Well, I couldn't agree more, my snarky little friend.

"Night, Sarah." I call as I watch her set up her sleeping pad a few feet away. She's totally faking it, but I'm not going to call her out. If she wants to listen in on us, let her. It's not like we'll do anything inappropriate. I stare at the flames. Boromir moves to lean on the same log as me. He takes his cloak off and drapes it over my shoulders again.

"Thanks. It's been a long and fairly painful evening." I mumble gratefully.

"It isn't a problem. Besides, we can't have you getting too cold. We need you." He smiles at me.

"No, you don't. You guys would do just fine without me." I really believe myself. However, I sort of did save him. I guess they do need me to a point.

"You know a lot about what we should and shouldn't do. Remember, you warned us about Moria."

"Just my pathological fear of caves, I guess." I blow it off like nothing. "You didn't want to go to Moria either."

"Caves aren't my favorite either."

"Caves are for dwarves!" We both laugh.

"You know, before we left, Galadriel told me you had something for me that someday I'd understand."

"Mysterious woman. She gave me something, but I'll reveal it in my own time, I suppose. I admire her, and she told me to wait for when the time was right. She told me I'd know."

"I suppose that isn't right now, is it?"

"I don't know."

"You said she said you'd know!"

"I don't know!" We both laugh, and I poke his arm. He pokes me back. He suddenly notices my necklace.

"Is that it, what she gave you? Those rings?" He asks.

"I'm not going to lie. Yes." I sigh.

"They're betrothal rings. Very intricate and beautiful ones."

"Yes."

"For us."

"Yes. I was waiting for a good time, perhaps after this was all over."

"I think now is fine. It's okay to hold off the wedding, however." He mumbles nervously. I unclasp the chain and take the slightly larger one off.

"Boromir, son of Denethor, I propose my betrothal to you with this ring." I smile.

"Dayna, beloved of Galadriel, I accept your proposal." I hand him the fine silver ring. I take mine off the chain and put it on my right hand. Looking closely, inside the band, there's some Quenya engraving. 'Love outlasts all ends,' it says. How poetic of you, my Lady.

"I guess we'll have to tell everybody." I sigh. I don't like making announcements like this.

"Do you not want to?" He asks curiously.

"No. I don't like attention."

"We don't have to until after this is all over."

"I know. Sarah knows already, though." I throw a stick at her pretend sleeping form. She laughs.

"Damn, you two. Congrats." Sarah calls back at us. "Now, I am actually going to sleep."

"Liar!" Boromir yells back playfully. We both pelt her with twigs and grass.

"Stop it!" Sarah tosses a pebble, and it hits my leg, right in the worst spot possible. I hiss through my teeth. "Oh, god, sorry. Really, I didn't mean it." Sarah apologizes and then actually goes to sleep.

"We're engaged, right?" I mutter.

"Yes."

"I guess maybe we should kiss?" I shrug. Before I know what's happening, he kisses my cheek, his stubble tickling a bit on my cheek, not exactly the kind of kiss I meant, but I suppose it's good enough. We both doze off, sleeping after a long, dramatic, painful night. I guess it's been a decent day despite my major injury.

In the morning when I wake up, I'm leaning on Boromir's shoulder. The sun is low and pale in the sky and the campfire has burnt out. Sarah is throwing grass up into the air, I suppose finding which way the wind is going. She looks back over at us.

"Ah. Half of the happy couple is awake." She smiles, really happy for us. "Never thought you'd be the first of us to find somebody, Dayna. I guess fate is a funny thing."

"Yup." I shrug. "Boromir," I whisper, lifting his arm up off of me. His eyes flutter open. "We need to go."

"Right. The river runs the direction we need to go, so let's move on." He stands up and goes to rig the boat with our supplies, and Sarah helps. I'm still stuck sitting on the ground.

"Guys, don't leave me behind!" I call at them as Sarah begins to climb into the boat.

"Oh, right, you!" Boromir calls back. He walks back over and picks me up, supporting me like a crutch. I'm getting better at one legged walking. Sarah helps lower me into the boat, and then Boromir gets in. I use a paddle to push us off the shore and the river carries us on.

For most of the day we half drift, half paddle with the currents. The forests turn into prairies, and then some jagged hills appear on one side. The forests reappear on either side. I don't know how far we've travelled, but my money at the end of the day is on about seventy-five miles. We stop along one side, the west. Since we don't have anything to start a fire with, we eat our lembas in the dark and one of us is up at any given time keeping watch.

The sun rises red, and I remember the battle of Eomer's men and the orcs. We get back into the boat and set out again. For the morning, the water is fairly calm and the trees are still on either side. Then, at about noon, we hit rapids. Sarah tries to steer us through them, even though I'm the experienced boater here, and she does a decent job for the first few miles. We've picked up real speed, and the river runs straight. Until about five, we ride the current perfectly. Then, the water slows back to being smooth again. Just after the sun sets, we pull the boat back over to the west side. We've gone much further today than the day before, according to our maps. In fact, if tomorrow goes smoothly then we'll be at Osgiliath the next afternoon. That night, I stay up keeping watch and staring at the stars.

Just before dawn I wake Sarah and Boromir up, and it's really hilarious to watch Sarah wake up, because elves sleep with their eyes open. We load up for the last time, and get in the boat. That day, the river ran at regular speed, but all three of us paddled so we'd get there quicker. The forests faded into grasslands after about ten in the morning, and according to Boromir, that meant we were in Gondor. Looking off to the east, I could see the mountains of Mordor loom in the distance, with brooding clouds. So that's where Sam, Frodo, and Caro were going. Off to the west, a lush green plain spreads for miles. At about three, we get to Osgiliath, which is pleasantly empty. We get out of the boat only to face a serious problem. It's over ten miles to Minas Tirith from Osgiliath, and neither Boromir nor Sarah can carry me the entire way.

"Why didn't I think about this?" I scream angrily as I pull my hair, sitting on the edge of the river so my feet scrape the surface.

"Relax. I'm sure we can make some makeshift crutches. There's plenty of dead wood around here." Sarah kicks at a piece of timber that's the perfect size. "Look! I think if we have any nails or something we can get another one of these and put arm rests on them so that we don't have to tote your heavy ass everywhere." I roll my eyes. Sarah hunts around for another board, successfully. She cannot, however, find any nails.

"That'll do well enough, Sarah. Thanks." I smile at her and use the board to pull myself up. "This is much better."

"Think you can make it ten miles?" Sarah says.

"Trust me. I could do it." I smirk. I hobble on them a bit, and conclude that I can, in fact, work with crutches efficiently. We set off, and my arms get tired really quickly. However, it's about four hours at this speed to the city, and we could certainly make it. The sun sets, but the lights of the city for the last mile offset the darkness.

"Do you see it? The white tower of Ecthelion." Boromir gazes at the giant...thing protruding out of the city, like a wall that's as tall as the tallest level. Minas Tirith, in case you didn't know, is like a wedding cake carved into a mountain. The Citadel is on the narrow top, and houses and businesses are on the wide lower layers. The tower of Ecthelion is like a giant divider running from the top layer straight to the widest point. It's really, really beautiful. The last mile is definitely the longest, but we stop before the gate.

"Dayna, ditch the crutches. We need to get you through as soon as we can to the Houses of Healing, and by having to carry you, we'll get attention and assistance fastest." Sarah says. Boromir helps hold me up for a few seconds and Sarah takes the crutches and ditches them in a random hole. They help walk me in through the gates, and since the guards know Boromir and I'm injured they don't check Sarah or me.

"Help! She's injured! We need a medic!" Sarah cries through the streets. We keep walking and Sarah keeps yelling.

"Sarah, stop. We can get her up on our own. The Houses of Healing aren't far." Boromir mutters irritatedly.

"Um, not far in which way?" I say under my breath.

"Just a few more blocks," mumbles Boromir. After a bit more walking, Boromir points out a white building just like every other building, and he opens the doors. A plump older woman is pacing about the entryway holding a sheet of paper.

"Now, then. What's happened to you?" She says without looking up. She glances at us and smiles. "Captain Boromir! It's been so long. Who's the young lady?" She gestures at me.

"Ioreth, good to see you! She's a member of a quest my companions and I left for a few months ago. She's been shot in the leg with an arrow, and now she can't move it despite her friend's skill at healing or lack thereof." Boromir is acting very formal. Decent summary, though.

"Oh, dear, let me get her into a room straight away. What's your name, m'lady?" The old woman asks as she leads us to a small room with a single bed and a chair.

"My name is Dayna." She helps me onto the bed, since my leg can't move.

"Odd name, don't you think? Doesn't sound elvish, like you are, or Westron. Hm."

"I come from far west. Names there are different." I shrug. She begins to remove Sarah's bandages.

"Ah, what neat clean stitching. It's a shame that I'll have to take it all out to get a good idea of what kind of damage we're talking about." She runs her finger gently along my stitches, and I flinch. "Easy, easy. Didn't mean to hurt you." She leaves for a few seconds and comes back with a little mortar full of some crushed leaves. "These'll knock you out for some time so that I can see what needs done and you don't feel a thing. Just keep them in your mouth for a bit then spit them out." I grab a few leaves and suck on them for a few seconds, then spit them into my hand. I immediately feel drowsy, and about to pass out. Suddenly, the ceiling begins to spin and my eyesight goes completely black


	8. Chapter 8

When I wake up, I'm pretty much in the same place. The sun is shining, my room is empty except for my sword, scabbard, bow, and quiver in the corner of the room, and I'm wearing a light purple dress rather than my bloody tunic and leggings. I stand up and get out of bed. Wait, I'm standing! I lift the skirt of my dress, and recoil in horror. Where my leg used to be, there is now a piece of wood. Alright, so it's very fine, polished cherry wood, and it's actually shaped like my leg from mid-thigh down with joints and feet and everything, and I could probably get boots or shoes on there, but it is not in fact my leg. I sit back on the bed and take it off. The place where my leg should have been has healed well, and it doesn't hurt at least. I look at my prosthetic leg and note that the knee and ankle joints give when I move it sharply and stay in position until I apply some kind of pressure or move again. That explains why I could walk so easily with it. Not too shabby. I will definitely be able to use this once I get the hang of it. The old woman opens the door.

"Three days and nights and now you're up. Those other two have been asking nonstop if you were awake yet. Managed to get something one of the local inventors made for you too."

"I guess it's pretty nice. It works better than nothing." I stand unsteadily. I use the wall for support, but I make it to the door without stumbling.

"Well, now, you might want to get more practice with it. Can't have you stumbling all over." The woman sighed and left. I manage to walk without the wall. It's a bit like learning to skate, except you aren't on wheels. You have to bend your foot back before you take another step, but I can walk without the wall after a few minutes. By no means can I run or jump yet, but this isn't bad. Finally, I decide that I'm ready to leave my room. I open the door, and Sarah and Boromir are leaning on the wall talking.

"Hey, guys." I say. Sarah flings her arms around me and I almost fall over. "Careful, dude. I can barely walk." She's squeezing me so tight that it's hard to breathe.

"We were worried." She says.

"You aren't my mother! Don't worry about me! That isn't your job, Sarah," I tell her.

"I'm allowed to worry about you." Boromir mumbles.

"Yup. And I'm allowed to worry about you." I respond with a smile. "Have you talked to your dad or brother yet?" I ask.

"I'm not exactly on speaking terms with him now, my father, I mean. My brother and his men went out on a mission a few weeks ago."

"Oh. Well, I'm sure that at some point we'll sort of have to tell them?" I suggest meekly.

"Eventually."

"Well, I think maybe we should get to Edoras. I have a feeling that's where Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas are." I say.

"Not when you're relearning to walk, Dayna. You shouldn't be out and about." Sarah tuts.

"God, that's what this leg is for. I want to fight, and this is supposed to let me do it." I'm furious with her.

"Dayna, she's just trying to help you." Boromir says.

"I don't care! I'm missing everything! Nothing has happened to me except getting shot, and I want to fight! I'm not weak!" I yell. They're both quiet.

"Fine. You're going to get yourself fucking killed. We'll leave in the morning." Sarah pouts angrily. I walk back to my room and slam the door, then flop on the bed and have a good long cry. Then I punch my pillow repeatedly. Usually I would kick it across the room but I can't kick. So I just sort of sit on the floor and throw the pillow at the wall and yell at it.

"You shit! You worthless fucking piece of shit! I can't stand your goddamn face! Go away!" I scream at it, and I hurl it at the wall. I'm not really meaning it for the pillow itself, more for myself. I hate it. I hate myself. I don't really hate Sarah in all her stubbornness, because she is trying to help me. And I can't hate Boromir, because he's trying to help too. But I hate my stupid leg, my stupid need to save everybody, my stupid, stupid desire to fight, and I just want to be okay again. The door cracks open a bit, and my friends are peering through.

"Are you...alright?" Sarah says apologetically.

"I have one leg and I recently was told I couldn't fight or go anywhere. I've got my friends, and they're too worried about me to let me go be free. I'm in a cage. I'm trapped, and I'll never get to do anything. No hero. No fight. Just a cripple. I am not okay." I mutter.

"That isn't true. Just get used to using it first. I know, it's hard for you." Sarah attempts to reassure me.

"You know what? What do you know, Sarah? I don't think you realize what happened. That orc? The one that got us here to begin with? He was going to kill Boromir. I made this choice expecting a smooth kill. I expected to stab him in the back and have it done with, day saved, we can move on. But guess what? I'm a cripple. I'm a fucking cripple."

"Yeah, but how are you alive? Me. Who helped get you here? Me. Who helped get you here without infection or any real problems? Me. Dayna, I'm sick of your shit." Sarah is angry for real now. And I honestly get it. She's right.

"I'm sorry. Really." I whisper.

"I know. I am too. And you're right. We do need to get going. I'm sure they have horses. You can ride, can't you?" Sarah asks. Wow, she calms down and gets to planning too quickly.

"Yeah. Where are the stables, Boromir?"

"They're just outside the gates. I can get us some fairly easily, as a captain." He smiles.

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning sounds like a great idea. Besides, there's a few things that we need to sort out." Boromir says.

"Are we going to stay here? Isn't there an inn or pub or something anywhere?" Sarah asks.

"No, but I could get us into the palace." Boromir suggests. "Supplies, rooms, food. It'd be simple, and I could talk to my father."

"Your dad? The crazy o-" I shove my hand over Sarah's mouth. Earlier in the quest I might have let slip something about Lord Denethor that may not have been savory.

"Your father the steward?" I correct.

"Yes, and the man currently ruling Gondor." He raises an eyebrow at Sarah. "And also the moderately insane one."

"Ah. That's good to know." I reply.

"Is he at least willing to talk to you and help us?" Sarah says.

"It depends. If he knew about you and I, well, he'd be furious. So no mention, we can't be close or friendly or anything. He'd be much more tolerable if we were just cold and formal."

"Good to know. So he'll help us. Supplies, a bed for the night, and then Boromir gets to talk to his crazy dad." Sarah nods. "Good plan, guys." Suddenly, the door bursts open and the old nurse storms in.

"Boromir, I expect better from you! Upsetting patients, causing a ruckus, bringing strangers in, and the gentleman with a stab wound next door can't sleep with all the noise of this young lady here, and let me tell you a thing or two about manners!" She points at me. "Out with you, all three of you, and don't trip over your own leg on your way out!" She yells, shooing us out of the room.

"That went rather well." I smile as we walk out of the House of Healing. "I mean, I'm sort of alive."

"Sort of? You're either alive or you're dead. And you're clearly alive. I mean, speaking for myself that classifies as alive." Sarah laughs.

"Not in one piece though. I wonder where the Citadel is." I contradict.

"It isn't far from here, only a mile or so. If you want, I'll help a bit." Boromir suggests.

"No, I've got it." I walk with a light limp, but it isn't too terrible. "Need to get used to the stupid thing anyway."

"Ah. So do you want a full tour of the city on our way then?"

"Sure. Why not?" I smile. Sarah walks ahead a ways. I see what she's doing, clever girl.

"That shop over there used to be a bakery, with the best cakes. I used to try and steal them when I was a kid. Of course, the owner was quite skilled with a broom." We both laugh. "Faramir and I used to play with some other boys over there on that side street. Some of that was the fiercest competition of my life."

"I remember when I was little we used to race down the streets where I lived. We had it all set out, a racing line and everything." I beam a bit, walking through such an ancient place. "My friends and I also played dolls, doing the hair and dresses. Sometimes, I would play with my little brother's toy soldiers, though. When I got older, I became a scholar, and now a soldier. I've been so many things." It strikes me right there who I am. I don't belong, but this place feels like home.

"You know, you never told me much about when you were young."

"It's been a long time. Well on a few hundred years, I am." I'm lying but if you calculate my age, 15, from human to elven, it's about eight hundred years, I think. Besides, I don't look or act 15. I look more 20 something, like most elves do.

"Hm. That must be so strange, seeing so many things come and go."

"Not really. It feels the same as I guess being human does, except we don't really have a time limit for anything. We can wait."

"I guess that this is the fastest anything's ever gone for you then. I mean, the entire quest."

"Yeah. I mean, I've waited around for adventure for so long that I'm not sure what to do afterwards. I'm kind of scared of the foreverness."

"Forever." He repeats slowly. He stares at his feet. "Do you regret this?"

"No. I don't regret anything." I'm surprisingly honest. I understand how much it'll all hurt when he's gone, but I won't settle with an elf I may not love as much just for the sake of being together forever. I hold his hand. "Perhaps forever won't be too bad, just lonely."

"I suppose so. Ah, look, we're almost here." We both looked up and saw the palace of Minas Tirith, very grand and beautiful. White marble columns, giant doorways, and beautiful arched windows grace it. And Sarah is leaning on the White Tree.

"Oh, god, Sarah, get off of that!" I call across the courtyard.

"Why? It's just a tree."

"Just...get off. I'll explain later." She strides over to us and flips her hair.

"So what now?" She demands.

"We go and see my father, I still live here, so only you two will need guest rooms. Hopefully, I can explain this entire predicament to him and he'll understand."

"Sounds good enough for now. Do we have to request an audience or something?" I ask.

"Not when you're the steward's son. Besides, he'll be happy enough to see me." Boromir shrugs and we climb the stairs to the entryway. Boromir stops us before the door. "Don't mention our engagement. Don't mention the Ring. Don't mention your leg, Dayna, and don't mention how or why we came to Minas Tirith. All he needs to know is that we come for the night and that we'll then move on. Understand?"

"Crystal clear." I nod.

"I won't be any trouble. Just going to keep my mouth shut." Sarah mumbled, imitating the 'zip your lips, lock it' motion.

"Alright. Ready to meet the steward?" He pulls open the door and walks in. First, I notice that this is not the Boromir we usually see. He holds himself like a captain, good posture and a wide gait. His eyes are straight forward facing, towards his father. His father is smiling, actually smiling, and not in a repulsive way. It actually looks relatively affectionate.

"Boromir, it's good to see you. I see that the quest has taken you here?" The steward says.

"Yes. My lord, we request a place to rest for the night, my two companions and myself. We will not be longer than the night and will leave in the morning."

"Of course. Might I ask who these she-elves are?" He sneers a bit when he looks at Sarah and I.

"My name is Sarah, and this is Dayna, my companion. We represent the far-western realm and are a part of the quest Boromir and a select group of others were chosen for." Sarah eloquently declares.

"Yes, well, I can't understand why women would be selected." He mutters. "Despite this, there are guest rooms down the left corridor. You're welcome to them." Denethor's reluctant, but Sarah and I ignore him and find the nearest guest rooms. We pick ones right next door to one another so that we can at least be close. The rooms here aren't nearly as nice as those at Rivendell, but they do have attached bathrooms. I bathe and get dressed, then wander around. My blue tunic and leggings were completely wrecked, so I guess they were rid of during the three days I was unconscious. Aside from the purple dress and my green tunic, I've got absolutely nothing to wear. I put the purple dress back on since it covers my leg well, and I go on a wild clothes hunt throughout the palace, the fruits of which are a deep blue gown, a pair of men's breeches, and a light orange tunic. I sew the men's breeches so they fit my waist well and don't fall off, and I put on the blue gown. It has a low neckline and a belted waist patterned with colorful beads. It's made of cotton, I think, but maybe linen. I'm not a fabric analyst, okay? After wandering the little corridors and insignificant hallways, I make my way back to the entry hall. I hear voices and quietly listen behind the corner.

"Father, you need to send more troops to Faramir at Osgiliath. It must be held or the entire kingdom will fall."

"Are you trying to say that you will make a superior ruler? Should I question your loyalty?" Denethor's voice sounds like oozing oil.

"I don't care about loyalty or ruling. I care about my brother, and the she-elves and I need to get to Rohan as soon as we can." Ice has creeped into Boromir's voice. "Many things there have gone amok."

"Fine. I can rule as I see fit, and you may leave in the morning." Denethor storms into the corridor on the right, and Boromir stands there for a few minutes, then leaves the palace altogether. If I were to follow him, it might look suspicious. If I don't follow him, I won't know where he goes. I decide that I'll follow him. I walk as swiftly as I can across the hall and yank the door open. He's standing on the edge of the Tower of Ecthelion, staring across the field.

"Boromir!" I call. "What's wrong?" I ask timidly.

"My father is trying to hold Osgiliath and rule the kingdom properly, but it's falling apart. He's losing his mind." He's almost about to cry. "I remember when I was younger I wanted to be like him, but I see how much stress he's going through and I don't think I could handle it."

"I promise, you won't be the same." I say. I know fully well that he won't be the same, mostly because he'd in fact be dead, but that aside, he's nothing like his father. His dad's an intellectual, manipulative for sure, but not necessarily in a bad way, and he's pretty judgmental too. I remember somebody describing him as a gray character, not bad or good, and I completely understand why now.

"I know. I'm scared that I'll fail. My father might not be doing well now, but he helped keep the country unified. I might not be able to do that."

"Other things may. For example, Frodo and the Ring are headed straight to Mordor. Sauron will try and attack Gondor. He's already started with Osgiliath, I think, and maybe a common threat will help the country pull together." I suggest, but it sounds to him a bit like 'your brother's gonna die and your people are gonna fight and then die,' I guess.

"I know. I see it coming. We can't take it. Between Mordor and all the internal problems, we're doomed." He's looking defeated.

"It's okay. It'll be alright. I have faith in the Fellowship, and your country. Come on, let's go get some tea." I grab his arm and we walk inside together. I found the kitchens earlier, and believe it or not, he hadn't ever been inside. I ask one of the cooks for two cups of tea, and within a few minutes, we're both holding steaming hot mugs of the sweet, brown, substance of life.

"You know, it's funny how little I know about the palace." He says as we sit on my bed sipping tea.

"Just a bit. I mean, it's giant and you've lived here for your whole life and all, but you didn't have much reason to leave the steward's quarters, huh?"

"No, I suppose not. I like the city much better." I totally get it. Being in the palace for too long is like being in a box.

"I understand. Besides, there's only so many places to go inside. No sunshine or green." I say wistfully.

"Well, it's getting late in the evening. I should leave." He says, picking up his mug and walking to the door.

"Good night, I guess." I mumble. "See you in the morning." I sit on the edge of my bed and drink tea before deciding that I need something a bit stronger to make myself feel better. I walk next door to Sarah's room and open the door.

"Sarah, get ready for some fun. We're going to get very, very drunk." I smile.

"Yes! I've been waiting for this for a long time." Sarah squeals. "I'm so proud of you, my little girl off becoming an alcoholic! Where should we hit up first?"

"There's gotta be a bar somewhere. I mean, the chances are high in such a huge city." I say as we both walk through the doors.

"I'd say check near the gates. Lots of people down there."

"It's a long walk."

"So? You wanted to get drunk."

"Wine cellars! There's wine cellars here that I walked by on my search for clothes." I realize.

"Wine! Oh, I love wine." Sarah wistfully smiles. We walk back through the halls and I take her to the wine cellars, dug into the ground next to the kitchen. I search through racks for something in a really pretty bottle and find a blue glass bottle with a sickly sweet smell coming out of it. This is the one for me.

"Got your bottle, Sarah?" I smile.

"Got it." She holds up a green glass bottle with a little symbol engraved on it.

"Now let's get back to your room so we can chug these motherfuckers." I walk proudly through the empty halls. They aren't well lit in the night, but I guess it's good enough to find our rooms. Sarah shoves open her room and lights a lantern.

"Let's play a drinking game. First one with an empty bottle wins. We each have to tell a secret about ourselves." Sarah is looking way too excited.

"I'll take you up on it. My first secret is... I hate being an elf. You." I say, tipping back the bottle. It tastes like cough syrup mixed with vinegar, and it's absolutely disgusting, but I swallow it anyway. I don't even care.

"My first secret is that I lied to you in third grade when I said that Seth liked you." She takes a gulp.

"Umm... I read fan fiction in my spare time. And not the clean stuff." I chug a sip.

"Everybody does. But moving on. I had sex with Legolas once." She throws down another sip, but I flip out.

"Sarah, dude, that means you're bound! Like, elves aren't bound by marriage. They're bound by doing the do." I lecture.

"Funny. He didn't tell me that. Well, game over. I messed up. Let's sing now, okay? Starships were meant to flyyyy, hands up and touch the skyyy..." I giggle as Sarah sings.

"Now, my lady, you can't go making starships fly without a keptin," I say, and I begin using a fake Russian accent like Chekov from Star Trek. "I ken do zat!" I yell. We both fall over laughing.

"I dare you." Sarah grins.

"You dare what?" I slur.

"Go do it now!" Sarah says.

"Do what?" I sing, with the pitch going higher at the end.

"I don't remember." She stares out into space. "Maybe I should ask the sky." Sarah looks up at the ceiling. "Hello, Sky! Why are we here? I mean, we didn't do anything do deserve this sick, warp-ed joke. Not fair, bro." Sarah screams at the ceiling. "I think I'm pretty drunk now."

"Me too. We should sleep." I mutter.

"Don't sleep when you're drunk! Just drink a lot of water. Then you can sleep." Sarah is probably the closest to an expert you can get here, because she's gotten drunk twice before the quest; even though it isn't much, she's got more experience than me.

"Then go get some water, silly." I giggle.

"Why get water when we have wine?" Sarah absentmindedly takes a swig of wine.

"That's a really good point, man." I down another sip. "This whole leg thing... I'm sorta glad. I mean, I don't have a lame leg anymore, like one that's weak or something."

"It sucks, though. I could be off with my apparently infinite forever and ever love right now but I'm not."

"Yeah, well, at least he's forever. Mine isn't. When he dies, I'm forever and ever alone." I sigh.

"Why did you pick him? I mean, he loves to fight too much, and he's brave I guess, and he's really devoted to who he loves, but do you know why Caro and Frodo and Sam left?" Sarah asks.

"Yeah. He tried to take the Ring. But Sarah, do you realize why? He's afraid for his country, and the Ring told him he could save Gondor with it. It's not just a Ring. Did I ever tell you the story?"

"Nope. Something about Sauron."

"Good. You'll know now. So back in the end of the First Age, the great Rings of Power were made. First elves, then dwarves, then men. And then, Sauron, who had helped forge the rings or something, made his own and betrayed himself to Morgoth, this archangel kind of guy, like, there's 8 Maiar, and they all have different domains, and then there's Eru, who is God. Morgoth's like Lucifer. So anyway, Sauron puts all of his manipulative, dark, evilness into the Ring, and then the men ally with him for power. They're the Nazgul, and they're chasing Caro, Sam, and Frodo right now. So Sauron starts a giant war to take over Middle Earth, then Elendil the King of Gondor tries to kill him, but he dies, and his son Isildur cuts the Ring off Sauron's hand, defeating him. So Elrond, that guy at the meeting, takes him to the only place it can be destroyed, which isn't necessarily true because it can be destroyed by dragon fire too, it's just easier this way allegedly, and Isildur, bloody fool, decides to keep the damn thing. He gets killed, Ring falls into a river, Smeagol finds the Ring and then Bilbo, Frodo's uncle, gets it from Smeagol, and then it's passed down to Frodo. So yes, that's the whole story. The elven rings are pure and untouchable, and Galadriel and Elrond have two of them and Gandalf has the other one, though he got it from Cirdan. You'll meet him later. The dwarfs' rings have all been either eaten by dragons or taken by Sauron at this point too, and he has the nine men under his control, and they aren't going any time soon. Besides, the Witch King of Angmar gets his ass whooped by some badass chick later."

"I'd ask you to repeat that, but that took so long that I'm not going to bother." Sarah stares at me befuddled. "That doesn't explain the whole 'my fiancee loves swords' thing."

"Yeah, well. I love swords too."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense? Besides, I guess you're both a lot alike. I mean, you really love those two hobbits, and you both mess around a lot. You're both smart, if you don't always act like it, and I can't help but note your passion for fighting." Spot on, Sarah.

"You got it, I guess. They say opposites attract, but we aren't magnets. Besides, you and blondie are a lot alike too. I mean, you're both quiet, sort of like know-it-alls, even though you yourself don't know what's going on sometimes. And you're both really sassy. By the way, what did Galadriel tell you that day?"

"She gave me these." She holds out rings that were tucked in her pocket, but hers are more ornamental and delicate than mine. I recall that Legolas is nobility and Sarah is a scholar and healer here, even though she's still on the quest. It makes sense, since they both don't require their jewelry to be practical.

"Did you see Boromir and mine? I mean, I know you know we have them, but ours are different." I take mine off and hand it to her.

"They aren't as pretty, I guess. I mean, they're definitely pretty, but a lot less ornate." She shrugs and passes it back. "I guess since you both use so many swords, it makes sense."

"What about Caro? Any ideas?" I say.

"Something about a special gift that she'll need more than anybody else. I suspect it'll be something for Frodo and Sam on the quest. They're facing doom. I bet it's some healing stuff or something." Sarah shrugs. "More practical, though it'd be handy if she'd been here at the lake. Frodo and Sam need her, though. They love her like a big sister."

"Yeah, I remember it was really cute when they were all together because she was so protective and they'd hide behind her. She was practically their mom."

"I'm scared for them. I remember in the books how terrifying it was. What faced them. All the things that happened."

"What? I don't understand."

"Sweetie, they get lost in Emyn Muil, followed by Gollum, who then becomes their guide, and Frodo tames Gollum, and they go through the Dead Marshes on the way to the Black Gate. Frodo nearly drowns, they have to hide from the Nazgul, Sam starts to lose his trust in Gollum, then right outside the Black Gate, Gollum tells them that there's another safer way around because they always watch the gate. On the way there, which goes past the Morgul Vale, they're kidnapped by none other than Faramir, Boromir's brother, who decides to take them to Gondor with the Ring. So after a brutal Nazgul attack, Faramir decides to leave them alone, then they make their way back up a super long stairway and into a giant spider lair. Frodo gets stabbed by said spider, Sam fends the thing off but he thinks Frodo's dead so he takes the Ring and just as he's getting ready to leave, he has to hide because orcs are coming and the orcs say something about him not being dead so Sam has to go get Frodo back and then they cross the plains of Gorgoroth, and then Mount Doom. Since they accidentally ditched Gollum in the spider lair, he catches up with them and tries to take the Ring at the very top of Mount Doom. So after that, Gollum bites Frodo's finger off and falls into the volcano, taking the Ring with him. Sauron's giant eyeball collapses, the volcano erupts, they run for their lives. Gandalf saves them by having giant eagles come pick them up, and they go home. Then Frodo sails away with the last of the Great Rings four years after it's all over. Sorry, love. I'm pretty sure they're facing some serious peril."

"Did Caro know?"

"I bet that's why she went. She knew she could help."

"Oh. I'm sorta tired. You can sleep here if you want." Sarah shrugged.

"Yeah. This place is big and empty. I don't like it." I mumble. "Too lonely and quiet and cold."

"Okay. We can share if you want, and there's a sofa. I guess you'd be okay with sharing though, I mean, that time you and me and Savannah had a sleepover we all shared."

"Yeah. I mean, just boundaries." I crawl under the blankets on half the bed and steal a pillow. "Night."


	9. Chapter 9

In the morning, I am not hung over at all. Seriously. Is that an elf thing or something? Sarah is sprawled out and snoring, and there's sun pouring through her window. I leave, get back to my room, and put on the men's pants and the orange shirt. The shirt is fitted for a woman, I can tell, so it's far more comfortable with its long sleeves. The pants also fit really perfectly. I tug on my boots (an exceptional feat with a wooden leg), pack up all of the clothes I had, and go out to the hall. A large table with breakfast items on it, like eggs and pastries, and bacon is laying out. Of course, helping myself to it would probably be frowned upon, so I lean on the wall and sing a Mumford and Sons song. "Where are you now, where are you now? Do you ever think of me in the quiet in the crowd?" I sing under my breath. I hear a door open, and Boromir walks out of the steward's quarters a moment later.

"Hello." I call cheerfully.

"Good morning. Is this ours?" He looks over the breakfast.

"No idea. I'm a bit hungry, but not very."

"You're never hungry. You're an elf."

"I know. But that bacon looks really good."

"Vegetarian my foot."

"Yes, well, where I'm from only a few people are. And we eat bacon."

"I heard you singing. You're good. And that was a pretty song."

"Really? It's sort of strange."

"Yes. Different, it was. Beautiful, and haunting."

"Ah. Well, I don't know if this is your dad's or what, but I'm going to eat some bacon. And a bit of tea if I can get it."

"I heard the wine cellar was raided from one of the servants."

"You heard wrong. Sarah and I would do no such thing." I laugh.

"Don't lie. It isn't proper for a lady."

"What made you think I was a lady? I might be a girl but you know damn well I can swear and spit as well as any soldier."

"Yes, well, you're also engaged and wear dresses, and talk with she-elves in the woods and plan giant journeys and study lore, therefore you're a lady."

"Touché. Besides, I'm still not a lady if I say I'm not a lady."

"I'm a lady. I'm also going to steal some bacon." Sarah shouted from behind me. She ran up and did indeed steal bacon. She found some guy's pants too but she's still wearing her tunic. We all laugh.

"My dad won't be up for a while. Long enough for them to replace some of the food." Boromir reasons, gazing longingly at the eggs. He finally gives in and heaps a few onto a plate. I grab a flaky, massive pastry filled with raspberry jam.

"Good. We need food." I say, stuffing my pastry in my mouth. It's really good. I also grab a piece of bacon and eat that. I've missed bacon so badly.

"Should we get going now?" Sarah says, licking her fingers.

"Probably. We need to leave before my father gets up and changes his mind. I mean, horses are the fastest way to Edoras from here, and it's three days." Boromir says through his mouth full of food.

"How far, pray tell, to Helm's Deep?" I say. "Maybe we should head there instead."

"Two days. I'm sure we could be there faster if we ride through the night as well, and Gondor has good, strong horses." Boromir replies.

"Good. Let's make for Helm's Deep." I decide.

"Why?" they both ask in unison.

"Because Saruman is amassing an army. Gandalf told me long ago, and he's not within striking range of Gondor and won't bother with the Shire or anything west of the Misty Mountains. Rohan is there, and Rohan is a threat. Theoden knows, so he'll send his people to Helm's Deep. They'll need us." I'm lying on how I know, of course, but I'm sure they get the gist of it.

"Then we ride." Boromir nods. "I think that now would be best." We all hurry and grab our packs, then make for the stables just outside the east gate into the city. Boromir has his own horse, and I've picked a golden colored steed, with a white mane. He's gorgeous, and all of the saddles fit him well. Boromir helps me onto the saddle, and then we ride.

Have you ever ridden a horse faster than a gentle walk at kiddy carnivals? It's really exhilarating, but also a bit uncomfortable because it's like riding a bucking bronco. I felt like I was going to fall off any minute all morning, and Sarah looked like she was going to puke all over her dark brown horse. I swear, Boromir was doing all he could to keep from laughing hysterically. How do people fight on a horse? Beats me. Somewhere along the ride, I decide to name my horse Crescent, because his fur is the color of a croissant roll and his mane is the color of the moon. He really loves to run, and he does it a lot. Fast. I swear, he's a descendant of Shadowfax or something. Anyway, we ride through the night, only slowing down to pass around canteens and lembas bread a few times. Sarah gets the hang of riding her horse pretty quickly and starts trying to show off. I yell at her to save it for Legolas, and she literally falls off her horse laughing.

"Let me explain you a thing." I call at her as she gets back on her horse. We laugh even harder. No, neither of us will ever pass for ladies of any caliber. Early in the morning, we gain sight of the mountain fortress. It's actually really majestic in the early morning sun, and I can see men lined up along the posts.

"You were right." Boromir says as we ride through the gates. "They did come to Helm's Deep." Suddenly, a few soldiers stop us.

"From whence do you come, and what is your business in Helm's Deep?" One of them says.

"I am Captain Boromir of Gondor, and these are my companions, both elven nobility of far western realms. We come to aid in battle." They nod and let us through.

"Wow, your status gets us anywhere, doesn't it? And elven nobility? I swear, we aren't nobility." I mumble.

"More impressive. And then they're more likely to let us in."

"Valid. Let's find Aragorn and Theoden. They should know we're here." I mutter. We get off of our horses and head for the hall. If I remember correctly that's where they had been. Surely enough, that's where they were. I open the doors and the three of us walk in. Aragorn smiles and walks up to us.

"Good to see you all again, and just in time." He nods and we all hug. "And how's, well, the..."

"My leg?" I sheepishly suggest. "Well, it isn't a problem anymore.'' I tug the leg of my pants up past my boots, exposing a bit of the wood.

"Oh. You can fight, can't you?" Aragorn seems so embarrassed over my leg.

"Of course. Anyways, what's the plan?" I change topic.

"You do have a plan, don't you?" Boromir says.

"Please tell me you have a plan." Sarah mutters. "Last time we didn't have a plan..."

"Yes. Helm's Deep is easy to defend, but we don't have any more men." He looks scared now, Aragorn does. It's strange to see him actually afraid. He even kept his composure in Moria. We must be royally screwed.

"I'm sure somebody will come through. Don't lose hope." I reassure him. He nods and goes back to conversation, and we all go sit on a bench, then Sarah leaves and goes outside to find Legolas.

"You're going to try and fight, aren't you?" Boromir says worriedly.

"Yes. And why not? I can do it perfectly well, thanks." I say.

"You can't run. I don't think it's a good idea if you can't run or get on your own horse."

"Yeah, but..." I can't argue that. He's got a point. "Well, I want to."

"I don't want you to. I'm not even sure I want to, being as outnumbered as we are."

"I know. But I promise, Haldir will be here. He'll bring reinforcements, and if you notice, very few Rohirrim are here. There'll be more." I say.

"You could still get hurt since you can't run away."

"I don't need to run away. Okay, look. I promise I'll stay right next to you all the time. The entire time."

"I could deal with that." Boromir nods. "I've got my shield, and if we fight with all the others, Legolas, Gimli, Aragorn, and Sarah, then we've got a real chance."

"See? That's the spirit." I agree. "Hope. Hold onto it." I hold his hand. Aragorn glances over at us. He rolls his eyes and smiles a bit.

"I wonder where everyone else is. The women and children are probably in the cave, but where are all the men?"

"Those were all the men. Not many."

"We won't make it. Everybody will die."

"There's no way out of the caves, so the women and children will be trapped. Why not fight?" I shrug. "What's the point in waiting?"

"You're right, I suppose. We should go look over the wall and survey the men. Make sure they're prepared." Boromir says. We stand up and leave, but not before Aragorn makes a motion by sticking his finger down his throat and pretending to barf. What does Arwen see in him? She's marrying a middle schooler.

We walk over one of the walls. The boundaries are about thirty feet high on every side of the wall, and the low areas are about fifty feet off the ground. The wall is solid rock, ten feet deep. Saruman must have used a lot of gunpowder to get this thing to blow. Oh well. Sarah can manage to stop that orc first, so that we don't blow up or something. Anyway, after some inspection, we conclude that A.) Helm's Deep won't fall if we keep explosives at a reasonable distance, and B.) Orcs will have to find a way better than ladders to scale the wall. We can knock them down simply enough, and then rid ourselves of a few hundred orcs and their only means of entry. This won't be too terribly hard, or at least, now that I know what'll happen. Boromir and I go back to the hall to talk to Theoden about battle plans. Theoden is sitting at a table, holding his head in his hands.

"Captain, have you inspected the walls?" Theoden completely disregards me.

"I have. We need to be very careful. In my country, we've a special substance that allows fire to undo stone and steel. I fear that Saruman may have obtained some. It would be in a large, steel container, and they'd have to put it within a weak spot, but they'd find a way. We need to watch." I interrupt. This is important and excusable.

"So he means to weaken the walls."

"Of course. That's the only way into Helm's Deep." I mumble. "Theoden, we can win this. We can protect Rohan."

"What hope do we have? The men know of their fate."

"They'll die for you. They'll die for their people. And we'll get help. Eomer will come. There must be someone."

"None have come. We are going to die." Theoden is so forlorn. I smack him.

"Come on. They look up to you. Do you think they want to see their king give up on them? Do you think that they want to see you give up hope? How will they fight then without any leader?"

"I don't know. I don't. We need to try, though." Theoden sighs.

"That's more like it. Get out there and get your men ready. And hurry. The sun's setting and you can see them coming." Theoden leaves.

"Didn't know you could boss a king around." Boromir jokes.

"Well, I have zero tolerance for making mistakes because of human error. And that was just straight up hopeless."

"Ah. Well, good job. You probably just saved the entire battle."

"Like you won't. You're going to end up a bigger hero than me."

"Will not. You're the one who saved me."

"You're the one who carried me to Minas Tirith and saved half of Gondor, stood up to your father, stole cake, and defended Osgiliath for years. Don't make me the hero." I smirk, knowing I bested him this time.

"Fine. But you're much more kind, and gentle, and smart, and pretty, and-"

"Shut up!" I giggle. "I'm not any of those."

"And I'm no hero. But here we are."

"We come to the same conclusion. Neither of us are anything."

"Yes. You really are all those things. I wouldn't lie to you."

"Neither would I. You're brave, loyal, smart, and handsome, and you could single handedly handle all this."

"I'll accept your compliment, but only because you won't let me turn it down." He shrugs. I blush.

"Of course not. We don't lie to each other, remember?" I poke his nose. "No lies."

"I wasn't lying!" We both laugh. I don't exactly know what's happening, but I lean in, and he leans in, and we kiss. On the mouth. For a long time. Well, actually, maybe a minute, but I've never legitimately kissed a guy before this, and it's really nice. I swear, I don't notice a thing around us, just him. And then, we stop. I feel like squeeing and riding a roller coaster and running in circles, but that would be really, really, unprofessional and unromantic. Besides, we've got things to do.

"I've, um, I've got to get some armor." I smile. "I'll see you when I'm ready."

"I'll be wherever." I hurry to the armory, and look around. Everything is way too big. You wouldn't believe it, honest. They're all sized for men, but even the smallest one is like a tent on me. There's a man in the back making some mail, so I walk up to him.

"Excuse me, do you have any armor for women?" I say meekly.

"What use is there for women's armor? Ain't you s'posed to be down in the caves?" He gruffly answers.

"Yes, well, I'm a warrior, and elven nobility, so if you must know, I really need some armor." I indignantly reply. "And it shouldn't take you long to alter some smaller mail."

"Fine. Just take some of that boy's mail and wear that. Might be a bit big." I put it on, and it's more than a bit big, this suit of mail, but I don't have a choice. I put my scabbard and sword on over it and grab a leather vest off a shelf, then sling my bow over my shoulder. I don't think I need a helmet, so I'm ready for battle. I walk out of the armory, and past all the soldiers. They look so hopeless, and sad. I want to look at them and tell them that we're going to be victorious, but I can't bring myself to do it.

Their sour mood is seeping into me. Sure, we're going to win the battle, but who's to say I live? What if I don't? Don't think like that, I tell myself. Can't have you losing faith so soon. I remember my younger brother, my mom, my dad, and my older siblings. If I don't get to go home, will they ever notice? Could I ever go back? But then, do I want to go back? I remember all I have here, and how nobody even knew who I was there. I was invisible. Now I have my friends, love, strength, hope, and most of all, adventure. What I always wanted. I pull myself away from those thoughts as I make my way to the edge of the wall. The sun is setting, and it's a gorgeous red, bleeding all over the horizon. Of course, it almost distracts me from the rows of orcs beginning to march across the plains. Crap. I need to find my friends. Attempting to run down the narrow streets, I get to the hall, tripping about eight times along the way. All of the fellowship but the hobbits and Caro are there.

"There she is!" Gimli says. "The lass is okay. Are you going to fight with us?"

"Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the world." I beam.

"Suilad, mellon nin." Legolas smiles, holding Sarah's hand.

"Suilad, Legolas. Guys, I'm back. You ready to fight?" I call. "We're gonna fight like it's the last night of our lives, right?"

"Might well be," mumbles Sarah. "Look at all those orcs. Even I can't take out that many."

"Chill. We're gonna make it, dude." I tell her. I begin playing with her hair like I used to, braiding it and swirling it, and tucking it into a bun. "There. Now it won't get in your way."

"I'd do the same for your hair, but..." My hair's length had been a running joke back home. I giggle.

"Dude, just stop. We need to get out there." I say.

"I guess so."

"We'll take the east wall. Haldir arrived a few minutes ago, and he and his men are defending the west wall." Aragorn says.

"Told you somebody else would be here." I nod. "Now let's get out there, guys. I'm proud we've made it all this way. All of us."

"Wait, we should do a team cheer like we did in volleyball." Sarah suggests. "So we stand in a circle, and then we all put our hands in the middle, and then we yell something and pull our hands out and go." I laugh at her. She has to explain it! So we do the cheer, and we say, For Frodo. It was Aragorn's idea. Poor guy had really liked Frodo and Sam, and now they were gone to a seemingly indefinite fate. We walk out silently, and as we climb the stairs to the top of the wall, I see Sarah whisper something to Legolas.

A storm is blowing in. I can tell by my hair frizz and my sinuses, and also the wind's more electric. I love it. I savor it, drawing it in. The sun is down, the clouds have come, and there isn't a moon. This will be a dark battle for the time being. I spread out my arms, absorbing the dark, charged evening, embracing it and taking in its energy. For some reason I always loved storms, and night, and nighttime storms. They make me feel powerful.

"Hey, storm girl, there's a bunch of orcs right on our doorstep and you're dancing in the rain literally." Sarah yelled at me. She was holding her bow casually and leaning on the edge of the wall.

"Storm girl? How catchy of you. Can you feel it, though? I mean, the air is positively energized. I can feel it." I inhale deeply. I'm shaking, from adrenaline or fear, I don't know.

"Sure. Get ready to fight, since you've got so much energy. We've got orcs to kill, heroes to be."

"Alright." I take my bow out, since right now is more like taking them down from a distance until they scale the wall. Aragorn, Legolas, Sarah, and I are all good archers, so we've got some decent firing range here. We don't start yet, of course. The battle has to begin, and the second a single arrow flies, well, they have full consent to start killing us. I gingerly sit down criss cross, like we learned as kids, and I tuck my leg under me. Waiting is hell, but fighting is terrifying. Well, that's where I am now. Waiting.


	10. Chapter 10

Of course, the wait didn't last too long. One guy on the east side shot his bow a bit too soon, and all hell broke loose, with the clouds dropping buckets. For the first hour, we were just shooting and dodging, child's play for us. I was genuinely enjoying myself, and Legolas was already starting his count against Gimli. Our talking and yelling was littered with jokes, mostly nervous, but I don't think any of our men were taken out in the first hour before the ladders came up. Orcs are crappy shots, and the elves on the west side were taking them out by the dozen, so for most people it was just dodge and shoot. And then the ladders came up. I have to admit, it was decent planning. However, after some noting, their ladders were wood and rope. I lit one up.

"Good idea. Men, incinerate those ladders. Burn them down!" Aragorn yelled behind him. The ladders were turning into blazing torches in the rain, and it was a sick kind of hilarious to watch the orcs on them at the time fall to their deaths on their comrade's spears and lances. Okay, I'm really messed up, but I have a bone to pick with the entire species. We didn't even have to do any work to get the ladders down. Just let them handle themselves. That's when I saw the orcs toting the infamous explosive over to the sewer.

"Sarah!" I scream through the sounds of battle. "Sarah! We need to take out those orcs and defend the grate over there. They're gonna try and blow it up! They'll breach the wall!" I shout at the top of my lungs as she decapitates a rather large orc. Her knives really are pretty cool, but not nearly as amazing as my sword.

"I'll jump down. We can make it!" Sarah shouted. "Then I'll catch you!"

"Right! Get down there, and then I'll jump!" She nimbly leaps down and kills the orcs carrying the giant spiked ball.

"Now!" I climb over the edge and push myself off. She just misses catching me, but I'm okay. I stand up in the mud, and I help her stand her ground.

"Can you pick that thing up? If I can defend you into enemy lines and the archers can take down anyone near you, I think we can light the thing up from a distance after getting up on the wall." I shout over the sounds of incredibly angry orcs. They're running up to us, and, well, trying to throw flaming things at us as we carry it through the crowd, trying to get it far from the wall. I swing my sword around like a madwoman. Sarah is about to have a panic attack, but she stays calm enough to carry the thing. We drag it through far enough for it to cause no damage to the wall, and I give Aragorn the signal. We run for our lives, hacking through orcs, and we see the one fateful arrow shoot over our heads, and run faster. Suddenly, a deafening explosion rings out behind us. Sarah and I drop to the ground holding our ears, and orc pieces are flying everywhere. Oh, yes. The plan has worked. While the smoke is still covering us, Sarah and I get up and run...straight into the wall. Since we can't see very far through the smoke screen, we feel until we find the stairs, then dash up where the air is clear, coughing all the way.

"That was amazing!" Gimli said. "Can you do that again, lasses?"

"There was only one bomb. Now the score's even, I think." I smirk, and high-five Sarah. She looks shaken, but like she's on a massive adrenaline rush.

"Let's not do that anymore." Sarah says, the wild look in her eyes replaced with a tinge of fear. "I think my eyebrows are gone."

"Yeah, but eyebrows don't mean anything. I mean, we've still got our weapons. We're still holding the fortress." I say.

"Quite well, might I add." Aragorn smiles at us. "Good job, young ones."

"Thanks. I mean, it's pretty easy to blow up a few orcs." Sarah says.

"You've put me out of a job, love." Legolas says kiddingly, poking Sarah's arm. She eases up a bit.

"Well, Boromir, I suppose I can't fight well?" I smile, knowing I've won this argument.

"Of course you can. I was wrong, I suppose." He wraps his arm around my shoulder.

"I was scared, still. I mean, that could have gone really wrong."

"I was too. Scared for all of us. What if the orcs had managed to get it on fire close to the wall while you were carrying it? What if you hadn't made it fast enough?"

"You shouldn't worry." I smile. "I can fend for myself. As can you, might I add."

"What did I miss?" Gimli says, looking at us like we're aliens.

"I'll explain later." Boromir says. "For now, we have to defend Helm's Deep. We aren't done yet." We all get our swords and bows back out and ready for the next wave. Sure, the explosion had shaken them up, but more were about to come, and ladders came back up, burning again in the eerily heavy rain. We were all soaked to the bone, in both orc blood and rainwater, and my orange shirt is probably black, along with my pants and my vest, and my chain mail is going to rust. I slash on, though, and orcs keep putting the ladders back up like the idiots they are. At least I'm not bored, though. I find some pretty cool ways to get my sword in them, my favorite being a vertical slice from their neck down. Suddenly, I remember Haldir. I dash to the west wall as fast as I can, considering my leg, and I find the elves doing...well. Actually, there were, according to Haldir, only two lost elves, and they both died bravely. I fight a bit with them, the strange storm girl who slashed like a tornado. I enjoy myself, actually, in a sick way. The lightning provides some great lighting, and I feel like I'm a hurricane, terrifying any enemy in my path.

Suddenly, I hear somebody calling me. I can't tell who it is, but it's certainly a guy. Not Sarah. And it's coming from the east side. Slicing orcs as I hurried over to where my friends were, I see it. Sarah is on the ground bleeding a lot. I can't tell from where, but she's laying on the ground in a ball. I turn her over. Her side. It's not a deep cut, but it's bleeding a lot, straight through her leather armor.

"Hold on. It'll be over soon, and you won't bleed out."

"It was poisoned." Legolas murmurs, holding an Uruk scimitar. I shudder.

"Oh, god. We need to get her to the healers. Wait, let me show you a trick. You should probably do this, Legolas. Also, I sort of need everybody else to look away." I say. I wait for all the guys to cover their eyes, since there aren't any orcs around at the moment. "Now, you're gonna suck the poison out of the wound. I mean, like suck the blood out. And then spit it out." I say. Legolas cringes as he looks at her wound.

"You're serious?"

"Dead. And your girlfriend will be too if you don't hurry." He does it, and I look away. He makes a noise like he's going to puke, but he puts her shirt back over the wound and picks her up. She's unconscious. We manage to get her to the hall, where there are one or two healer women who've managed to stay out of the caves.

"She was cut with a poisoned blade. She needs help now!" Legolas shouts as we burst through the doors.

"Calm down. Oh, poor girl, she's unconscious. We have to hurry. Run along, I'm sure you're both needed." One of the healers says as she rushes for some herbs, and we put Sarah down on a bench. She mumbles something, and her arms hang off the sides.

"Should we...leave her?" I ask.

"Yes. I think they'll take care of her." Legolas replies uncertainly.

"Are you sure? I'm sure you staying wouldn't be a problem. The battle's almost over, and I think we've won."

"Yes. I'm needed there more than here."

"Alright. Good luck, Sarah. Don't die." I say, running my fingers through her dark hair. We leave the hall, and we were right. The battle at the moment is in a lull, with a few stray orcs trying to get in and getting hacked to pieces. Theoden has taken charge again, being the good and proper war king once more. The sun is about to rise. Time for Gandalf and the Rohirrim to appear, and charge through the last defenses. So I lean on the wall and nibble an apple, staring off at the distant hill. And then I see it.

"Gandalf!" says Boromir excitedly. "He's returned."

"Yeah. I mean, his purpose wasn't through, so Eru sent him back. Simple enough." I smile, honestly happy to see that thus far, everything's worked out. They ride, slashing orcs with incredible speed from their horses. And honestly, I'm a bit relieved. I watch them in the early morning light, taking down the remaining army, trampling their bodies under hoof.


	11. Chapter 11

As soon as the Rohirrim come into the gates, I quickly walk back to the hall. Sarah. Sarah is there. I look around, and the entire place has been turned into a hospital wing, and sitting up weakly in one of the beds, sipping a hot drink and with a bandage around her waist, is Sarah. I stop next to her bed. She doesn't look in hugging condition, I might open the wound or something, but I poke her nose.

"You're alive!" I squeal. "Legolas and I thought you were a goner. That orc didn't play fair, huh?" I say, ruffling her hair. She smiles thinly, but her eyes are much more happy than her face seems.

"Yeah. I don't remember much, but I do remember the old lady telling me that you guys were worried. She said that you were hesitating to leave and that she had to order you out."

"Partially true. Legolas also had to suck poison out of that gash. I made everybody look away, no worries. Besides, you and I both know that isn't the first time he's seen that."

"Damn right. I got laid. Well, never mind that, so thanks to both of you I'm alive. Rumor spreads fast, and I heard you kicked some serious ass too."

"Sure did, but it wasn't really anything you missed. It was the Rohirrim. Eomer and Gandalf and all them. Not me, girlfriend."

"Not then. Haldir told some people that told me that his troops call you the storm girl too now because most of them don't know your name and you're like a storm in battle, taking things out with no mercy, unpredictable, wild. Lightning."

"I'm flattered. Really, I am. They really need to stop talking about me that way, I might not live up to the expectations." I laugh.

"Sure you will. I bet you'll be a legend before me." Sarah isn't kidding.

"No. Caro'll be the most famous. It doesn't take a thing to smack around a few orcs, but what she's doing? That's truly brave. I'm afraid for her."

"Yeah. What if she doesn't make it? I think she's the least likely, from what you've said, to live of all three of us."

"She will. She's got more guts than any of us. Rivaled only by Sam and Frodo themselves. I think maybe she made the best choice, the hardest one, and the most thoughtful one. Sure, maybe we won't die, but Caro will do the most. True Gryffindor, she is. Remember when you got sorted into Hufflepuff by Pottermore and me into Slytherin? We all did it together."

"Yeah, and we called you Snake-face for a week. Never thought we'd end up here, though. Middle Earth is no Hogwarts."

"Not by a long shot. But I like it a lot better here. I mean, it's pretty cool, you have to admit."

"Yeah. And I've got an infinity with a guy I love, an infinity with my best friends, and a world of awesome. All I could ever ask for."

"I'd kill for WiFi and chocolate."

"Me too!" Sarah laughed.

"I miss lightbulbs. Air conditioning. Being clean. My leg. My dog. Blankets. Mattresses that you didn't have on the ground. Tank tops. News. Everything. But I also missed here when I was there."

"If we went back I'd miss this place too. I mean, I don't like being attacked all the time, but the stars are bigger. The trees are thriving, and Lorien? Gorgeous. And I like being an elf. And all the beautiful places. The cities. Everything. I think I'd miss it all, and I thought you were silly when you loved the books so much. I'm sorry, dude."

"It's okay. Well, I should leave you and your novio alone now." I say, as I see Legolas coming in out of the corner of my eye. "Hermana, I'll see you later." I leave, and nearly walk into a wall of soldiers cheering and laughing at their victory. I join them, and I notice that they've got ale flowing. Women and children are out of the caves, kids playing in the streets again, and their mothers chasing after them to stay away from the swords and puddles. It's an interesting scene, the aftermath. And somewhere in the crowd I see Eowyn, my hero from when I read the books. I chase the blonde girl in the crowd of soldiers.

"Lady Eowyn!" I call after her. "My name is Dayna. I'm elven nobility of foreign lands and I'm traveling with the company of Aragorn."

"Oh. He spoke highly of you and your friends. I admire you." She's really uptight at the moment. She admires me? I'm truly flattered.

"I saw your brother earlier. He's doing well, and your uncle fought bravely." I smile at her.

"I wish I could have fought." She wistfully sighs.

"No, you don't. It's tiring, risky, and terrifying. I totally get that you want glory, hope, to redeem yourself so you aren't just a caged bird. I get it. You'll have your chance, m'lady. And I promise you, Aragorn isn't the one. Just wait. I know you'll find him. Also, helmets hide faces well, if you get my meaning." I walk off, and she looks really miffed, and confused. Mischief managed.

The next day, we head back to Edoras. It's a pretty quick walk, and since Sarah's on the mend, the rest of the company except Legolas goes ahead of everyone else to scout and go back to Isengard, and I'm super pumped about what's to come. As we ride into the clearing of the Tower of Orthanc, I look at the walls, and there's Pip and Merry.

I walk to them and kneel, and they run down and hug me, and then Boromir scoops up Merry and begins telling him stories of everything that happened. We're like their big brother and sister, I think. I hug Pippin close and start telling him everything, my leg, Helm's Deep, all that I can remember except that Boromir and I are engaged. The rest of the company moves on, and Boromir and I put the two on our horses and ride on. Crescent really likes Pippin, and as we ride I laugh at what disrepair these silly little hobbits put Isengard in.

"Saruman's got himself a piece of work, doesn't he?" I grin.

"Sure does. Treebeard, and all the ents, they helped us. Notice that I'm any taller?" Sure enough, he is. About three inches, actually.

"Wow, you are. Been drinking ent-draught, then?"

"How'd you know? Have you seen them before?" Pippin's eyes are like giant saucers on his tiny head, in shock.

"No, but I've heard a lot of stories of tree herders and mysterious concoctions. Was it cool?"

"Yeah! You should have seen them. You'd really have loved it." I can see Treebeard himself ahead, and we stop at the stairs to the tower.

"Young master, baroom, Gandalf. I've been, haroom, expecting you. We have a wizard to manage." Treebeard rumbles.

"No. He has no power but for his silver tongue anymore. All his magic is spent." Gandalf says. "He is no threat to us any longer." Suddenly, Pip jumps off my horse and picks the palantir ball out of the water.

"Give that to Gandalf, right now, Pip. Don't look into it!" I jump. He passes it to Gandalf, the glass the size of a bowling ball swirling, its polished surface shimmering. It's beautiful, and I do want to look at it now. I hold back. I help Pip back onto Crescent, and we set back for Edoras. We get a hero's welcome, the fellowship and all of us, and when we get to the palace, Sarah is leaning on a bench and Legolas is sitting next to her.

"So I see you guys are back!" Sarah smiles, ruffling both of their hair. "Are you taller?"

"Yes! We drank ent-draught, and it made us tall, and then we got to help defeat Isengard!" Merry says happily, and they began saying everything all over again, cutting in on each other and making jokes and getting overall, distracted.

"Hobbits." Gandalf mumbles. We all laugh, but it's genuinely happy. That night, there's a spectacular feast, and dancing and ale are all provided, with some of the best food I've had in weeks. Later in the night, when most of the children go to bed, they start playing love songs.

"May I have this dance?" Boromir smiles, as a slow gentle song is played on the violins and lyre.

"Of course. Do you know what this song is?" I say, listening closely and remembering my elvish. "The ballad of Beren and Luthien."

"I know the story. It's really beautiful." He takes my waist and we move out to the dance floor. I'm not wearing a dress, my hair is a bloody and tangly mess, and I'm still wearing the same clothes from battle minus armor and weapons, but I feel so beautiful right then that my heart is doing the worm in my chest. I don't know how long the song is, but Eowyn asks Aragorn to dance, met with polite decline. I feel for her, poor girl. It's heartbreaking, and I know how she felt. I'd fallen for a guy a long time before this who couldn't ever like me back. Besides, I remind myself, she and I will be sister-in-laws. We aren't good dancers, Boromir and I, and we trip over each other and miss the beat, but I genuinely have fun and so does he. Finally, after hours of music, the adults begin to leave, and the music stops, and I go to my room, which I'm assigned to share with Sarah. The palace's rooms are warm and cozy and remind me of log cabins, with big thick blankets on wooden beds and soft rugs.

"So how was your night? You two danced the entire time." Sarah smirked.

"Great. Yours?"

"Well, I couldn't dance but we held hands on a bench and he brought me food. That's pretty good."

"Sounds like almost every dance I've ever been to." I grin at her. "Besides, the hobbits enjoyed themselves and stuffed their faces."

"I swear, after that there wasn't any food left to go around." Sarah mumbles. We both laugh way too hard.

"Dude, do you know anywhere where I can get a bath? I'm covered in blood that isn't mine and rain and mud and explosion dust. On top of that, I just want to get that purple dress back on. Being in the presence of a proper lady makes me feel inadequate. Eowyn's too cool for us."

"You mean the blonde girl who like Aragorn?"

"Of course. Also, the blonde girl who whoops ass in battle after disguising herself as a guy, slays the Witch King of Angmar, becomes a strong independent woman who don't need no man but gets one anyway, and my future sister in law, considering everything goes the same. Also, niece to the king of Rohan. Yeah. Her. She's awesome."

"Oh. Well, new respect for her."

"Damn right. She's my favorite. Still, I need a bath or at least some way to get the orc blood off me." I shrug.

"Ask around. I'm sure some servant can lead you to one. By the way, this servant thing is great." Sarah suggests. I'm actually not really comfortable with the servant thing. It's weird for me.

"Can do." I grab my purple dress out of my bag, along with the undergarments that go with it and some shoes, and leave. Walking down the hallway, it's completely empty, mostly because it's around two in the morning, but I see a young boy wandering around. "Excuse me!" I call. "Can you show me to the baths?"

"Oh, miss, they're down that hall. We only have cold water, though." I shrug. Anything to get off the filth. I walk down, opening the only door on the left side, and there's the bath. It's a small room, with a large tub in the middle. It doesn't have a faucet, but on one side of the room there's a well. I scoop the water out and sip it. Pure as bottled water. I fill the tub using a bucket, then take my caked clothes off. I then take my fake leg off, unfastening it and putting it to the side, and then, I get in the tub. The water was freezing. It's not the happiest bath I've ever had, but I take a scrub brush and scour my skin until it's as pink as a newborn baby, completely clean, and then I soak my hair and shampoo the crap out of it. When I finally dry off, I can actually see my skin again. It's a miracle! I put on my dress, and my leg (after cleaning it off too), and shoes, then walk back to my room.

I sleep really well that night, the blankets are warm and soft, the mattress is fleece so even though Rohan is actually fairly cold at night, I'm nice and toasty. And I sleep pretty late. It's great to sleep late and be clean and have hot food and a warm bed again. You wouldn't believe how much you take it for granted. In the morning, there's tea, ale, plenty of breakfast meats and eggs, and a few breads. Since I absolutely hate eggs and most sausage, I eat some bacon and some kind of biscuit that's really good, along with some tea. We're all just getting over the battle, when in the afternoon, after a lot of chilling, Aragorn calls us to council. Eowyn, Eomer, Theoden, and the Fellowship are there, and we wait for a few minutes, mostly sitting in silence. And then we start talking.

"Gandalf, what do we do?" Aragorn says. "Saruman is no threat any longer, but Sauron will strike soon."

"He will move to strike Minas Tirith, which we know thanks to Peregrin Took." Gandalf gives Pippin a look that could shoot daggers through him. Yeesh.

"Gondor can't take an attack like that. The forces of Mordor alongside other opposition? The Haradhrim, Gandalf, are not very forgiving." Boromir contradicts.

"That is why, when they need our help, Rohan will answer." Gandalf says. "First, Pippin and I must go."

"Where exactly?" Pippin asks, alarmed.

"We're going to the White City. Things must be done. We will leave in the morning." Gandalf says. Wow, it's the giant white wizard party, since he's the only one talking.

"I think the entire company should ride." Legolas suggests.

"No. Some of us must stay in Edoras to help lead the Rohirrim in battle. Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and everyone but Pippin and Gandalf shall stay." I argue. "We're needed here."

"That's the way to do it, I guess. I'm going to see you guys tomorrow. And Pippin and Gandalf, just, don't die or anything. I actually kind of like you guys." Sarah says, walking out the massive doors to the city. "Later."

"That was abrupt." Aragorn looks a tad weirded out, and Legolas looks a bit conspicuous. I think he might have something to do with this. Whatever. I'm not going to get involved.

"I do assume that's our plan, however. Gandalf and Pippin leave for Minas Tirith, sort out some kinks in the plan, and we help lead Rohan to attack." I raise an eyebrow.

"Yes. That's, of course, the logical solution." Legolas agrees. "Rohan needs us."

"Rohan needs nobody." Theoden demands, glaring coldly at Legolas. "We are a strong people, enough to stand on our own."

"In your own way, I agree, but you will need more military power and assistance to combat Mordor. That's why we stay behind. We don't doubt you, only respect your limitations." Gandalf replies. I lean back on a table. I have no part yet in this meeting.

"I should well agree. Eowyn, you and the two noblewomen shall stay behind and help rule Rohan in your brother and I's stead. I'll have the decrees made out." Theoden says.

"Um, what made you think Sarah and I are staying behind? I should say, we're damn good fighters, and if we want to go we may. And Eowyn as well. She's got some good swordsmanship, and she could stand her own." I stand back up quickly. Eowyn smiles at me.

"Ladies have no place in war, but I have no reign over your companion and you. Go at will, but I'll warn you I won't approve." Theoden tells us coldly. "And Eowyn must stay, even if she leaves for the accompaniment."

"We have a plan. Meeting adjourned." I storm out, and most everyone, the fellowship and Eowyn, leave their own way. I'm walking through the halls, and somebody grabs my arm. I turn around. It's Eowyn.

"I just want to thank you for standing up for me." She mumbles.

"No problem. By the way, if you want to fight so bad Sarah and I can teach you some tricks of getting into battle." I grin at her. "You're riding until they leave for battle, right? Well, maybe I can get you in too."

"Really? That's be...great! I mean, I've always wanted to go off with my brother and his men. Be free, for a change."

"I know the feeling. I used to be just a caged scholar girl. It took so much to get here."

"Really? I can't possibly imagine you as a scholar. Reading a book all day? You'd lose your patience." Eowyn laughs. She doesn't know the half of my patience.

"I actually love to read. Always have." I smile. "Books are magical." No lies, huh? Well, I guess being in Middle Earth shows that all too perfectly.

"I suppose so. Most books are history here, though. No stories."

"No stories? History is one giant story, and if you run out of stories, you write your own. I used to write all the time." I beam at her, laughing at the irony of it all.

"Really? Would you ever write of anything interesting like the story of what's happening now?"

"Maybe someday. But I think I'll leave it to somebody else who knows it better. I've missed a lot, after all."

"Oh. Well, I'll be going to bed now, then." Eowyn walks away, then calls behind, "Thanks." I go back to my room too, and I notice Sarah staring out the window into the night sadly.

"Alright, what's wrong?" I ask.

"Nothing. None of your concern."

"You're angry with Legolas. I can feel it, girl."

"No. I'm hurt."

"Yeah, you got stabbed in the side. He saved you. Thus, you are healing."

"No, my feelings are hurt."

"How so?"

"I'd rather not say until later."

"Fine. Get some sleep." I climb into bed, and when I wake up, Sarah isn't there. I nibble some food and walk through the hall where the men were all sleeping for the time (Theoden gave the women rooms because it would be indecent for us to sleep in the same room as the soldiers, good intentions but really old fashioned). I tap Boromir's shoulder. He's snoring terribly, but it's actually kind of cute. He wakes with a start, and looks at me.

"Good morning, love." I gently smile at him.

"It's too early." he mumbles.

"No such thing. Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." I quote.

"Lies."

"No, we have to get going. Gandalf and Pip are leaving today and we have to see them off. See, they're already gone." I look across the hallway, and they must have already woken up and gotten going.

"Fine. We'll go see them off and then I'm going back to sleep." He stubbornly replies. I roll my eyes.

"No. We've got to get our weapons sharpened, review battle tactics, help look at how many Rohirrim can make it to Minas Tirith within the week, and eat. Busy day."

"Isn't most of that Aragorn's job?"

"Aren't we supposed to be well informed and prepared?"

"Alright, alright." I help him up, and after tossing his boots at him, we hurry to the stables. Sure enough, Pip, and Gandalf are getting ready to leave, and Merry and Pippin are talking as Pippin gets on Shadowfax.

"Pip! Be careful. I know Gandalf, that you plan to talk to my father. Be very cautious what you say, both of you." Boromir warns.

"Now get down so I can say goodbye." I lift Pippin off the horse and hug him tight. "Hey. Don't forget us. Something might go wrong and we might never see each other. So don't forget." I put him down, and he's crying. Merry hugs him, and then Boromir does too. He puts Pip back on the horse, and they ride off. I watch Merry climb the guard tower so he can see them ride across the horizon. It breaks my heart even more when I actually see it happening, not on paper or a screen. I squeeze Boromir's hand.

"They'll be fine," he reassures me.

"But what if we aren't?"

"We can't make any promises. I am sure, however, that we'll both fight well."

"I know that. Your brother will hold Osgiliath well, too. We have nothing to fear."

"Nothing but fear itself is worthy of our fear."

"Yeah. I've heard that before. It's true, too."

"Well, they're gone. It's going to be a good bit more quiet around here. Maybe a bit less bright, but quieter."

"Why did Pippin have to go?"

"He took the Palantir ball from Gandalf, and looked into it. Sauron took advantage of it, and, well, we believe Sauron thinks Pippin has the Ring, so they're going to Minas Tirith to help prepare for war and keep Pippin safe."

"Oh." Nothing I didn't already know, but asking usually helps. "That's why he'd seemed so shaken."

"It was rather scary, he was screaming, and then he dropped the ball, Aragorn caught it and then Gandalf took it back." I tremble a bit. Even mentioning Sauron has given me the creepy crawlies recently.

"Do you want some tea?" Boromir asks, noticing how scared I seem. He's caught on quick. Tea fixes everything.

"Yes. I'm sure you want some breakfast as well. Kitchen, then?"

"Okay." We both walk together, and I swing his arms like I used to when I held my dad's hand when I was little. I've never had anybody quite like this, and we both feel so at home together that I understand...everything. I run ahead when we're almost to the doors and stand in front of them, blocking it.

"Come on, move!" He playfully says.

"No." I smile.

"Yes."

"You'll have to move me." He kisses me, wrapping his muscular arms around my waist. "Fine! I'll move!" I mumble as he pulls away. "As if that had any say."

"I'll race you to the kitchen."

"No fair! I have one leg!" I squeal, chasing after him as he runs through the entry hall. "And I'm in a dress." He pulls open the door, waiting for me.

"You'll have to try harder next time, m'lady." He sarcastically says.

"I'll win next time." We both laugh a bit, and I'm blushing profusely. "Tea, tea and breakfast." I awkwardly say as I walk through the door and pour hot water into the biggest mug I can find and put tea leaves in through a fabric satchel. The smell is heavenly. Boromir is holding a plate of sausage and eggs as he leans on the wall and eats, and I sip my tea, comforted. This place is a lot better than the Citadel, and I'm so much more relaxed here than the giant stone palace.

"Good tea." I smile as the steam wafts around my face.

"Good breakfast." He replies, with a bit of food in his mouth.

"Learn some manners! You're in the presence of a lady."

"I thought you weren't a lady."

"Right. Well, manners are important nonetheless."

"Fine. I'll just stick out my pinky while sipping tea from a cup and answer everybody as sir or madame, and sit with my ankles crossed, perfect posture."

"No, no. Never mind. You're hopeless."

"Do you think anybody would mind if I didn't wash my plate?"

"You've never washed your plate. Somebody else always did it for you. Why start now? Just put it next to the sink."

"That is unfair. I washed my own plate when I wasn't at home."

"Still, just leave it next to the sink. I'm almost done with my tea. Then we have to work."

"Can't we just leave the planning to somebody else?"

"I thought you were a captain. You had to do this all the time!"

"Not my country or soldiers this time. I don't even know how the Rohirrim operate."

"Oh. Well, I guess we should figure it out. I mean, ask around, talk to people about it."

"Fine. We'll talk to Eomer. He's sure to know."

"Right, and since he's the heir to the throne he's a good person to talk to." I shrug. After putting our dishes next to where I assume they do dishes (more like a bucket with some soapy stuff next to it), we both start searching for Eomer. Not exactly a simple feat. He could be in a thousand places, the stables, the armory, the study, or just still asleep. And by noon, we still haven't found him. So by then, we decide that we're just going to have our swords sharpened, and Boromir is going to have his shield mended, and then take care of our horses. The same armory guy who was irritated at me before can't figure out why I have a sword, and we just leave before he can ask any questions. I know, it's a sort of jerk move, but I'm not willing to argue with a sexist guy like that. We walk hand in hand to the stables, and I feed Crescent an apple, then brush his mane and tail and clean his hooves. I pet his muzzle and he whinnies. He's so pretty. Boromir's horse, a gray steed with a black mane, is a bit wild and doesn't like being brushed. He manages, however, to get a brush stuck in its tail.

"Boromir, you can't just... Oh my goodness. He's your horse? You wouldn't be able to tell."

"He's been skittish of late. I think he finds Rohan a bit off putting. He's usually calm."

"Well, you might want to take the brush out of his tail. He can't just keep it there."

"You're telling me to walk behind a horse that's nervous? He does kick, you know."

"I'll do it then, silly. Get an apple out of my backpack and give it to him, and then I'll take the brush out." I creep up behind him, and I hear him crunching on the apple, and gently pull the brush out. I hurry up and get out of range of his back legs, and toss the brush out of the stall, then climb over the fence of the stall.

"That's one way to do it."

"I didn't get kicked, did I?"

"Clearly not. He seems a bit calmer too." Boromir strokes the horse's face, along a little white sliver running across its nose.

"I actually never used to like horses that much. They seem to like me now, apparently." Completely true. If I had a quarter for every time I'd been almost kicked or bitten by the horses at Girl Scout camp I'd have, well, fifty cents. Hey, I never said it happened all the time, just that horses didn't like me.

"You're good with them. Besides, horses are intelligent animals and can tell if a person is good." Was that a compliment? I can't even tell anymore.

"That explains why they all seem to like you." I counter. "Remember, we don't lie to each other."

"Here, let's go back to the hall. It's almost supper time."

"Wouldn't want to miss that!" I smile. Really, the food is great. I seriously don't want to miss it. "I'm going to beat you this time, though!" I take off, him running behind me as we dash through Edoras to Meduseld. I've figured out how to run with my leg, and since I've been a pretty good runner. The sun is setting, dying the horizon a bright coral color as it sets behind the distant mountains. It would be a Kodak moment if I had a camera. I wish I could stay here forever. Wait, later I probably could. I sit on the steps to the Golden Hall, swaying my feet as I watch. Boromir sits next to me.

"Pretty sunset." I say.

"I've seen many fair sunsets, and I must say that this is one of the fairest."

"Spent with someone you love, anything becomes extraordinary." I smile faintly. "Well, dinner is probably waiting." I stand up gracefully. Boromir rises with me and we hold hands as we walk into Meduseld. Sure enough, food is waiting for us. A lot of food. Like, ten roasted chickens and a giant boar and lots of bread and ale and not a vegetable in sight, but I don't care. I slice off some chicken breast and pour myself some ale. I'll eat like the men tonight! I sit next to Sarah and Boromir and across from Eowyn, who is sitting next to Aragorn, across from Legolas and Gimli. Wow, table arrangements are tedious.

"So how were you guys today?" I meekly ask. I'm absolutely terrible at conversation.

"Well, Sarah and I explored Edoras and I must say that we both had quite a bit of fun." Legolas winked at her. I would never have suspected that he was such a player.

"We had a blast." Sarah smiles. Alright, whatever they did the rest of us leave alone.

"I worked in the stables this morning." Eowyn chimes in. How much am I going to bet that Aragorn had been there too? A lot. Eowyn, sweet girl, he isn't for you.

"I talked with the armorer about some custom mail for myself, and then talked to him about steelmaking and the trade." Gimli tells us.

"Boromir and I sort of looked for Eomer all morning. We wanted to be ready for battle, you know."

"And then we went to the stables and tended our horses." Boromir adds.

"Planning is none of your concern, either of you. I'm sure Eomer and Theoden have it under control." Aragorn says. "I would even venture to say that it isn't my concern either." A hint of bitterness is in his voice. I remember how Theoden had said that he had no allegiance to Gondor, no reason to help. That must be what he means.

"They'll do absolutely fine, then." I conclude. "Has anyone seen Merry?"

"He was trying to learn swordsmanship, if you must. Readying himself for battle, if ever he sees it." Gimli says.

"Why shouldn't he? He has just as much reason as any of you to fight." Sheesh, Eowyn's touchy. She storms out of the hall into the corridor at the end.

"And that ends the pleasant dinner conversation." I say with a pang of sarcasm.

"I'm going to my room for the night as well." Sarah leaves behind Eowyn.

"Orc shit, what have I got to lose? I'm going too. Goodnight, love." I kiss Boromir's cheek and follow them. Behind me I can hear somebody ask something along the lines of 'what the hell was that' but I could care less. I don't care whether they know or not. I actually was in a good mood earlier today. Now Sarah and Eowyn have gone making drama.

"Alright, what was that?" I say as I walk through the corridor. Looking around, Eowyn is sitting on the floor crying, and Sarah's trying to comfort her by stroking her hair like she did with Caro and I when we felt sad. "Oh, my god. Sweetie, what's wrong?" I drop to my knees and try and comfort her by hugging her.

"I... I love Lord Aragorn. But I don't think he loves me back. And don't try and tell me you know. I've seen the way Legolas and Boromir look at both of you." She gasps between sobs.

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry I have to tell you this. But Lord Aragorn is betrothed already, to a she-elf, and he loves her greatly, good as you are to him." It physically pains me to say this, and her body is racked with sobs again. "You'll find somebody, I swear. And don't forget for a second to be free." I need to make sure she makes it to the Battle of Pelennor Fields, lest she miss her opportunity with Faramir. That's who she'll love more than any king, the steward's younger son, and my future brother in law. If she misses that, our fate is in God's thus far merciless hands.

"I need to do it. Prove him... prove I'm better than some she-elf..." For Arwen's sake and Aragorn's I hope she doesn't prove what she wants to, but does kill the Witch King, etc. And I'm glad she still loves him.

"You might not want to-" I cut Sarah off as she tries to suggest Eowyn not fight.

"Ix-nay on the is-day ourage-cay." I mutter through my teeth at her. Sarah straightens up.

"I'm sure there's somebody for you, because if you can get Dayna and I, the most sarcastic, unfriendly girls back home, to like you, then you've got the stuff. You're a great person, and I get how much you've been through. You're alone. But someday you won't be anymore. And that should keep you going. Fight for it, Eowyn." Sarah, I couldn't have said it better myself. Seriously, I couldn't have.

"Thank you." Her tears are slowing down.

"You think you can go to bed now? You seem pretty tired." I suggest. She's got dark bags under her eyes, and her posture is terrible. She nods and feebly stands up, walking to her room.

"I hope we helped." Sarah says quietly after her door shuts.

"I'm afraid we overturned the order of the universe, Sarah." I say, tugging open our bedroom door and taking off my dress before getting into bed. "She's got places to go, and I fear she might not now."

"Relax. Good night." Sarah says. I nod off, sleeping gently in the Golden Hall.


	12. Chapter 12

"The beacons! The beacons of Amon Din are lit! The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!" The first thing I hear the next morning. I push the wool blankets off and shove my dress back over my head. Shit, shit shit. Today's that day. I run out of my room, barefoot on the cold stone floor. As I run into the hall, nobody is there. Wow, that went quickly. I go back to my room and put proper clothes on, and boots. Sprinting outside, Eowyn is standing on the steps watching her brother and uncle gathering the Rohirrim.

"What happened?" I say.

"The beacons were lit, so Gondor is calling for our help. We're getting the men together so that we can ride soon."

"Oh. Nobody thought to tell me? I mean, it's actually pretty late in the morning." The sun is very near the middle of the sky, so it's about eleven. Sure, I don't need the sleep as much as other people might, but I'm saving frequent flyer miles.

"It was assumed by Boromir, who, as everyone else was so nicely informed last night, is your fiancee, that you wouldn't be happy to be woken." Oh crap. He told everyone. Well, they'd have to know sooner or later.

"He knows me well enough to know not to mess with my sleep. I'm sort of like a bear." I shrug.

"You're engaged to him?" Eowyn looks genuinely curious.

"Well, yes. I mean, we're both a lot alike. And I genuinely love him, and him me."

"You're an elf, and he's... he's going to die eventually." She seems perplexed.

"I know. It will hurt. But, where I'm from it's a phrase. 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never loved at all."

"Right, I suppose. Are you going to be riding with the men?"

"You know the answer to that. Of course I'm going to be riding with the men. I'm a tough, strong, albeit female, warrior. Nothing could stop me."

"I want to come. I've convinced my uncle to let me come for the accompaniment."

"Good. You'll just have to disguise yourself to get through, and Sarah and I could certainly help. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes." She seems absolutely, positively sure when she says so. Good. She needs to be.

"It isn't easy. But I will help, if you need help." I offer.

"I don't. I have to do it alone."

"You have a sword? You do need one."

"Yes, I have a sword of my brother's that I've long practiced with. He won't even know it's gone." Wow, she's more prepared than I thought.

"I have faith in you, m'lady."

"And I you. Your friend and you will do well."

"I'm not too sure of that, Eowyn. She and I, well, we've gotten by on sheer luck, and to an extent, I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be here."

"Why on earth shouldn't you be here?" I lift the hem of my dress above my boot.

"That's why. I've only had it for a week or so. Got it right here on the quest. I was an idiot and got myself shot."

"Oh. You can still fight?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Eowyn. Tough out there, the world is, but I like taking it head on."

"I understand." She's silent for a few seconds.

"I suppose I should get my horse ready. I mean, I've got places to be, things to do. As do you. Get going, m'lady." I smile at her, tip an invisible hat, and set off for the stables. Sure enough, Crescent, my baby, is nickering at me for an apple the second I open the door. "Shh. We have to get ready to ride soon." I stroke his muzzle and give him, as requested, an apple. "Don't tell any of your equine friends you have this. I don't want them all to beg me." I'm talking to a horse. Repeat. I'm talking to a horse. I've lost my mind, no wait, my leg. Okay, that was a terrible joke.

I gently brush him, then put on his saddle. Opening his gate and, after some deliberation, pulling myself onto the saddle, I ride out like wind. I ride out the gates of the city, and go probably about five miles before turning back. Edoras and Meduseld are glisteningly beautiful from this distance. I ride him back, then turn back to the stables. He needed the exercise, I reason. Poor thing's been cooped up for a while now. I go back to the hall and put my things together. The room where the men had been sleeping is now empty. They've all packed up, then. I sling my bag over my shoulder and grab my sword and bow. I'm still wearing a dress, but having a dress with weaponry makes me feel both badass and gorgeous. I run back out to the stables, get back on Crescent, and ride off.

The soldiers were camped outside the city in a tent metropolis. Aragorn, Legolas, Boromir, and Gimli were all talking to the men, and I got off my horse. Landing hard on my feet, I walked over to them.

"Good morning." I tell Boromir. "Hey, guys." I say to the other three, who are staring at us. "What did you tell them, love?" He stammers a bit.

"Well, I explained... I mean... They'd have to know sooner or later."

"Oh. You explained the thing. Yeah, I was figuring we'd tell you afterwards, you know, after all this was over, but I guess things needed explained." I shrug. "I'm not mad."

"Congratulations." Legolas says.

"Thank you." I graciously smile.

"Don't do anything ever to hurt one another. That's the worst mistake you can make." Aragorn offers his piece of advice. Boromir looks taken aback.

"I'd never hurt her."

"It isn't you he's worried about. The lass is more likely to hurt him than him her." Gimli says. We all have a good laugh.

"It's true, I'm notorious, especially if you ask Sarah, for leaving bruises on my closest friends. If you have a bruise I've given you, you know for sure I care about you." I grin. "You ought to have quite a few bruises on your arms by now, all of you." They're all like my family.

"Good thing we've all got armor too." Gimli, you have mastered the sass. Level 10,000, dude.

"We do sort of have to get going. I mean, this can't wait." We all talk around, making sure the city's men were ready. Of course, there were others, the mountains, the northern force, etcetera, but our concern right then was our men. The blacksmith, the armorer, all the cooks, the stable boys, all of them had to be ready along with the soldiers. If they weren't it would be a disaster. By noon, we decide the entire camp is ready. We order the soldiers to pack up their tents, get on their horses, and get a move on.

Theoden and Eomer ride in front, followed by Aragorn and Eowyn then Legolas, Sarah (who slept even later than me that day), Gimli, Merry, Boromir, and me. We're actually making great time. It's a long ride east, two days and nights where we didn't pitch tents, just slept out in the grass, except for, of course Theoden. Kings always have a tent or palace. The stars are so bright out on the plains. I don't sleep for two nights, because honestly, even though I really love sleep I don't want to miss these stars and I don't really need the sleep either. It's a luxury reserved for those in castles and tents. The plains seem to roll on forever before we get to the Burg, a large valley in the mountains where we rendezvous with other men. The place a hall for the men to eat in, despite the coming tent city. Coincidentally, very near the Paths of the Dead. As soon as we arrive I practically fall off my horse. My butt is so saddle sore and my horse is so tired that I just sit on the ground and kiss the grass.

"OH MY GOD. IT IS SO GREAT TO BE ON SOLID GROUND." I scream as I roll in the grass. "I NEVER THOUGHT I COULD MISS GRASS SO MUCH."

"Calm down. I think we're going to go eat and I don't want to miss that." Sarah says as she leads her horse past me.

"Food. Okay. I'm fine, dude." I stand up and my leg(s?) nearly buckle under me. I follow her with Crescent and go to the ancient stables of the Burg. This place is so old. A thick layer of dust is on practically every surface. The hall's benches of wood are crumbling, and although you could sit on them, you'd have to balance. I help set the tables up after taking Crescent to the stables with Sarah's horse, and the smell of roasting meat and baking bread soon wafts out of the kitchen. There's literally only two rooms in the Burg: a kitchen and a hall. The kitchen is like a tiny, burning hot box with a few counters and ovens, and the hall is a vast stone room, with thirty foot ceilings and wooden beams supporting a slate roof. It isn't a bad building. Just not one I'd like to stay in. It's too cold and abandoned. It wasn't meant to be home.

I pitch my tent near my friends', and I close the tent flaps and put on one of the dresses I'd brought from Minas Tirith, the blue one rather than the purple one. It's a lot more loose and comfortable, and the purple one was filthy. Then I brush my now substantially longer and shaggier hair until it shines. I set up a sleeping pad and a blanket. Seems home enough. I leave my tent and go back to the Burg. By now dinner is ready, and I wait in line for my share of food. I sit down next to Boromir and across from Aragorn. For some reason, the kingly guy seems pretty down. I don't say a word, just eat my food quietly until Legolas, Gimli, and Sarah come.

"You look rather discouraged, Aragorn. What's the matter?" Legolas asks.

"I have looked into the stone of Orthanc." Oh, crap. Dude, even Gandalf hates that thing.

"What the heck for? I mean, can't Sauron theoretically see you?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Yes. But it helped me remember something Elrond had said. I must take the Paths of the Dead and find the Army of the Dead. Long ago they swore their allegiance to the last king of Gondor, and their oath has not been fulfilled." Everyone but Sarah knows the story, and she ought not care. I mean, it isn't an important backstory for her.

"Oh come on. We have to bug the creepy ghost guys under the mountain?" I roll my eyes. "Let's not."

"No one is forcing you to follow." Aragorn so kindly points out.

"Oh, right. Well, just saying, but ghost dudes have crappy tempers. Don't screw with them, dude."

"They must listen to the king of Gondor. Their oath holds them."

"Whatever. I'll go to Pelennor. They sure as heck need some help." I shrug.

"I'll come too. Dead people under a mountain isn't my thing." Sarah looks really uncomfortable with this. Legolas is going somewhere without her? She's going to either have some serious character development or flip a shit. There is absolutely no in between for her.

"Boromir, are you going with them under the mountain?" I ask. I hope he is. I sincerely hope he is. Sarah and I need a chance to prove ourselves without any men.

"Yes. Long have I wanted to look upon the Dead City. I heard tales of it as a child." Boromir says it as if it's light. I suppose in a way it is, but it is also pretty important.

"So Sarah and I shall ride with the men to Pelennor, and the four of you will go under the mountain?"

"That appears to be our plan." Aragorn finishes.

"When do you leave?" Sarah says.

"We must leave tonight." Aragorn is conclusive and concise. Well, I'm rather okay with it. I don't want to go, they do, it's an emergency. Okay. I need to tell Eowyn, though. After all, we leave for Pelennor from the Burg tomorrow.

"Everyone else leaves for Pelennor tomorrow." Sarah says. "You aren't going to be there?"

"We will, eventually. We must gather the army of the Dead first. Don't worry, lirimaer." Legolas gently tells Sarah. Dude, calling her 'lovely one' in Elvish is trying too hard. Everyone else at the table rolls their eyes.

"Right, well, you guys should leave soon and Sarah and I need sleep. So... I guess we should get going." I attempt to divert the two lovers from each other, succeeding. We all get up and put our dishes in the large washtub set out at the end of the hall, and go our separate ways. I mean, they aren't leaving now. Just getting their stuff. I sit around one of the campfires Eomer and some of his friends have set up and are now telling tall tales around, with Eowyn moodily glaring in the general radius of the place.

"Yo." I greet everyone as I sit next to Eowyn.

"Hello." Eomer says. He glares at me, so I must have interrupted him telling a story or something. I lean over to Eowyn.

"Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir are leaving for the Paths of the Dead tonight." I whisper. She audibly gasps.

"No. No man has ever returned from there but Isildur himself." She begins to panic. "We won't ever see them again."

"Relax. I know them. They'll live. But the men need Aragorn's guidance. Go talk to him. Tell him how you feel, hon. He'll get it. And with any luck, he might, despite the elf chick, feel the same way." Eowyn mouths the words 'chick' and 'hon' with confusion, but I think she understands me well enough.

"I must go speak with him. You're right. I need to warn him."

"Go get him, girl." I call at her as she stands up to leave. Eomer and his men stare at me like I'm a nutter. "Never seen a crazy girl who likes pointy objects before? Sheesh." I get up and follow her to the path's entrance. Only the (one or two, I don't even know anymore) lovebird(s) were there. I go back to my tent and sit on my makeshift bed. Ugh. I have to say goodbye to him. I mean, we might not actually see each other again, you know, since I'm riding into mortal combat tomorrow. Fine. Whatever. I pull myself up off my bed and leave my tent, and in the distance I can hear Eowyn crying. Well, her heart needed broken to get places. It's a casualty of war, darling. I walk out to the path again. This time, everyone else is there.

"Boromir." I wrap my arms around his neck. "Don't die and I promise I won't either. Because if you die, I'll kill you."

"Calm down. I'm sure we'll both survive." He hugs me back, and I bury my head in his shoulder. He smells like sweat and horse. Not a bad smell.

"That's what Napoleon said before he invaded Russia in the winter." Okay, he probably didn't but he did think it would all be okay. I think everybody but Sarah is done with my world history references, and nobody else seems to get it.

"I know that we'll both see our wedding because we'll live. And I promise that to you."

"I promise the same, love."

"I have to go. For all of us."

"I know. I love you." Oh, god. Those three words. I just said them. I was always warned not to say them unless I meant them. So I do. I mean them.

"I love you too." He means it too. Wow. I can die now. No, wait, I sort of can't, because you know, that would be a problem and a deal breaker for my wedding. Ha ha.

"Godspeed, Boromir." I kiss his cheek and unravel my arms from his and back away a bit. "Godspeed."

"I wish you the best luck such ill times can offer you." He responds. He kisses my hand. Man, I can't even handle this anymore. We're too cute. Both of us, because I'm not going to lie and deny my cuteness. I'm damn cute. Well, sure. I'm adorable, but so is he. I mean, for being a tough captain sword fighter warrior guy, he sure is a puddle of sugar. Moving on. Well, I stand there. For a really long time. And I watch them all leave. Sarah cries a little and I would have good sense to slap her, since Eowyn's going through more shit than her right now. But I don't because I'm not a jerk. I hug her and tell her it will all be okay (because it will) and I take her back to her tent. I go back to mine and stare at the canvas ceiling for a super long time before I fall asleep. My dreams are crappy. I mean, both Boromir and I die in one, I die in another, he dies in another, and then I have to scale an endless bulletin board wall with nothing but thumbtacks. I hate nightmares.


	13. Chapter 13

I wake up before the sun rises. I put on my armor and clothes from Helm's Deep (Old Faithful), then I roll up my makeshift bed and tent, climb to the top of one of the hills, and watch the orange horizon. And then I hear everybody else, and some horns. I scamper down again and get on Crescent. Apparently no breakfast? I pay close attention as we ride out of the camp for Eowyn and Merry. There they are, towards the middle. I can't believe nobody's noticed them yet. I mean, they're both wearing helmets and all, and Sarah and I aren't, but seriously, a guy with a great figure who refuses to remove his helmet and another tiny guy on his horse doesn't tip anybody off? Come on. We actually keep a really good pace for most of the ride, and the wind in my hair is refreshing and wakes me up faster than any food you could throw at me. However the men seem hungry and I see a few of them complain. Oh well. If you'd woken up like me maybe you could eat.

So Gondor's literally a half a day away from the Burg, and we're in sight of the field before noon. And, oh shit, how terrible it was. A massive force, rows and rows of orcs with trolls, catapults, those giant column rolly things, and, looking to the southeast, there's Haradhrim. Oh, no. Once we take out enough orcs, there's a legion of oliphaunts waiting for us. Ha ha. Yeah. Because I wanted to fight. Ghost armies, I think. Yeah, ghost armies. Eomer begins lining the Rohirrim up for a charge on the front lines of orcs. I'm in the second row, of practically one hundred. So I'm close to the front. Sarah's next to me, and Eowyn and Merry are two rows behind me.

"You ready?" I ask Sarah.

"Shit." Sarah responds. I don't laugh and neither does she. We're crazy. Suddenly, Theoden rides in front of the riders.

"Death!" He screams. "Death!" And we all scream with him, for like ten minutes. I hold up my sword and scream with them. "Ride now! Ride for ruin and the world's ending!" And, well, we sort of do. As somebody at the front, I get shot at more than a few times, and sort of have to lop a few heads off of orcs via my horse. But fighting on a horse is easier than it looks, and Crescent's got some experience judging by the way he dodges lances and swords so perfectly. I ride through, taking out at least twenty orcs easily. It seems to last an eternity before we've scattered one of the forces. And thus, we take on the men from Harad.

The southerners fought on giant war elephants, and that was a good idea. The bad idea was putting all their men on said war elephants and not properly defending the thing's ankles and legs, because take four well placed blows from some good horsemen and the thing with all its men is dead and fallen. So it actually doesn't take long at all to get rid of them, despite a lot of men getting squished. And we head back, and there's the Nazgul. I've officially lost Sarah, and I can't see her in the sea of orcs and men and horses and somewhere in there is another elf girl, dead or alive. But now isn't the time. I hear some terrible screaming off towards one Nazgul. Eowyn's gone done killed the Witch King of Angmar. Theoden's dead, though. And she's lying unconscious in the field with Merry. Well, I make for the river. Plenty of orcs are gathering there, and I'm not willing to take the path of least resistance. I cut through some guys, not too many though because I'm not going straight through the crowd alone. Here come the ships. And off come my friends. There's all the ghosts! They kill all the orcs around me that weren't already dead of course, and then my family, my friends, follow. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas keep fighting after nodding at me and saying hi, but Boromir, well, I grab him by the waist and pull him in, then kiss him straight on the lips. Dare complete, Sarah. Ghosts around us keep fighting with barely a glance, but we need to move on. He and I fight back to back once we're out in the field, him deflecting arrows with his shield and me shooting them around us.

The sun is setting, but we fight on, and the ghosts are getting bored. Aragorn tells them to take on the city, and it briefly glows green in their ghastly light. And then, well, I think they've taken the city in victory. Having an undead army is really too convenient. The sun rises after what seems like five minutes, and everybody is walking back to the city. I stay behind. I'm trembling in shock. I'm just standing alone in a field of dead people. Dead orcs. Dead and wounded men. Nobody wins. I can't even fathom it. So many people just died. I know that soon they'll be going through the bodies searching for the living. Eowyn. They'll find her. And Theoden. He's dead of course, but I can't bring myself to miss him. He got on my nerves. And perhaps, if something went astray, they'll find Sarah. Oh, let them not find Sarah.

I run. I don't know where to. But I'm looking on what I step over, looking for Sarah. I remember where I saw her last, near the oliphaunts. I run as quickly as I can through the fields, weaving between piles of the fallen orcs and the dead oliphaunts. And then, there she is.

Her hair is a mess, her side is bleeding just where she got cut at Helm's Deep, her armor and clothes are slashed to pieces, and her arm is covered in bruises. But she's alive. She's leaning on a dead oliphaunt for support, limping along the blood stained grass. She's an absolute, complete disaster, but I couldn't be more relieved to see her.

"Sarah!" I yell. I don't hug her, but I do lift her arm onto my shoulder for support.

"I don't even know what happened." Her voice is quivering, weak, and hollow.

"What the hell? You're a catastrophe."

"You aren't much better. Dude, you've got blood splatters everywhere." I run my fingers through my hair. It's caked with blood, black chunks matted in it.

"Oh. Well, how'd you get hurt? Your side's open again. Did you get sat on by an elephant?"

"Not exactly. But I took one down and it nearly crushed me to death, and before that some orc tried to bludgeon me to death." She looks at her very bruised arm. "I think I broke a rib."

"Okay, well, I think Ioreth can patch you up just fine. Let's get to the Houses of Healing. Legolas is gonna flip." I hold her up, and she limps across the plain with me to the gate, which is wide open. Guard of Gondor don't give a shit anymore. I pull her through the doors, and she's nearly dead weight at this point. I'm pretty sure she has dead batteries. Let's hope it isn't too terribly permanent.

"Ioreth!" I yell through the halls. They're flooded with wounded men, Rohan and Gondor's soldiers and citizens alike. War spares no nation's gaps. "Ioreth!" I can't find her. Sarah's gone unconscious from blood loss, I think. She falls to the floor. I can't support her anymore. I sit on the floor and cradle her head in my arms. One woman, rather young and a mess, walks up to me.

"Which of you needs help?" She meekly asks.

"Maybe the one who's unconscious. Here. Get a stretcher, because I can't carry her." I sound really hostile and angry, but I'm covered in blood that isn't mine and exhausted, so I guess I can easily pass as wounded if you weren't willing to look too hard. The woman walks away and comes back with some men wit a stretcher of white linen. They lift Sarah onto it and just like that, my friend is gone. I stumble out of the Houses of Healing and sit on the ground, leaning on the inside of the wall. I doze off a bit. I'm filthy and drained, but I slept way too well.


	14. Chapter 14

When I wake up, it's late in the evening and I'm still coated in blood. Venus is high in the sky, and the sun is very low. I pull myself up, my legs threatening to collapse, and walk up to the Citadel. I open the doors to the palace, and then I remember Aragorn's entrance at Helm's Deep and feel badass. The hall's empty for the time, and I'm more exhausted than humanly (or elvenly I guess) possible. I walk down the hallway where I'd stayed before and find the room I'd slept in. I go straight to the bath, peel off my bloody, filthy clothes, and take a hot soak in the tub. It soothes my nerves and gets all the dirt off, and after some scrubbing with the soap and a lot of brushing, my hair is back to its shiny auburn self, and my skin is a bright whitish pink. After putting on one of the robes I found in the bathroom cabinet, I sleep some more, but this time it's deep and I honestly don't know for how long before I wake up. But when I do, I'm incredibly sore and drowsy. Oh well. I drag myself out of bed and into the kitchen. Two days without eating does me absolutely no good, so I swipe some bread with butter and tea, then eat it in my room. I go back to the main hall, and lo, there's the company. Before I can say a thing, I'm being hugged by Pippin. Little dude's back!

"We heard Sarah was taken to the House of Healing by an angry she-elf, so we knew it was you. But we couldn't find you. Two days after the battle was over, and now you're here." He says with his face buried in my leg. Oh man, I slept for two days. Crap.

"Wow, I don't think I was that angry." I laugh a little. "Is she okay, though? I got kicked out before I could ask anybody."

"Her ribs are bruised and her side is open again, but otherwise, she's perfectly fine. I already talked to her." Legolas smiles. "You did well."

"Yeah, but I messed up a load of other times. Like getting my leg shot. Like helping Eowyn make it here." Okay, none of those are real mistakes in the end.

"You mean you helped her to battle with Merry?" Aragorn looks shocked. "They've both come under the Black Breath. They're ill."

"Oh, god. How did that happen?" I ask with fake surprise. I know exactly how and that it'll all be okay.

"They defeated the Witch King of Angmar. Do you recall how Frodo was wounded? It was akin to that." Gandalf says.

"Oh. Are they okay?" I ask stupidly.

"They're both in a state of nightmares, along with Faramir." Boromir says, and talking about his brother definitely seems to pain him.

"Aragorn, I'm no healer, but won't kingsfoil help them?" I suggest. I know fully well kingsfoil will help.

"The problem is obtaining it. It is seen as a weed by most people, so the Houses of Healing don't have any." Aragorn counters.

"It grows here. I learned much about plants living in Mirkwood." Legolas says.

"I'll go find some, then." Aragorn storms out of the hall, and Gandalf goes to goodness knows where, probably the library, Gimli goes to the armory, and Legolas and Pippin leave for the Houses of Healing. Boromir stays behind, sulking.

"What's wrong? I can tell you're not feeling well." I say.

"My father is dead." His voice is like steel, not angry, but cold and disconnected.

"What happened?" No telling here.

"He believed my brother and I to be dead, and in a fit of madness tried to burn Faramir alive and leapt from the top of the Citadel whilst on fire. Pippin saved Faramir, but my father did not live." He's like, torn up. I probably should be too, but the mental picture is really funny. I mean, the guy was an assbutt to Sarah and me and Faramir along with a lot of other people, but he was the steward and my fiancee's dad. I have to at least act unhappy.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I hug him comfortingly. "I know you loved him." The guy was a nut, but he was Boromir's dad.

"I... I have to be the steward now."

"You won't be like him. You'll be better." I reassure him. "Don't make his mistakes."

"I'm afraid. I've led my men, but never a country."

"You won't be alone. You have Aragorn, me, your brother, and so many other people. Don't worry." I brush his hair out of his face. "Everything will work out in the end."

"I worry. Pelennor and Minas Tirith were a victory, but Sauron will be gathering more strength day by day. We've already lost so many."

"Trust your men. Trust me. And trust the fellowship. We won't fail."

"I know. I know." And we stand there, in each other's arms for an eternity, in the middle of the hall in the morning.

"I meant it, when I said I loved you." I whisper.

"I did too." A tear rolls off my cheek. I don't know why. It just...does.

"I, um, I need to get dressed. I'm still wearing my bathrobe." I back up a bit and smile warmly. What am I thinking? I want this to last. HUGS.

"Right. Er, your pack was left with the Rohirrim's camp, so you can have some clothes from the palace." I already stole some a few weeks ago, thanks. The tailors are going to be busy with all my clothes.

"Okay. Just have it brought to my room. I'm going to be there." I walk back down the hallway, open my door, and sit on my bed. And then I scream into a pillow while incredibly frustrated at my romantic inadequacy. Then, somebody knocks on my door.

"Come in." I call, sitting up and smoothing my robe so I don't look too frazzled or crazy. A young girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen opens the door. She's holding a heap of red fabric.

"I was, um, told to bring you this." She drops it in my arms and nervously fidgets a bit. "M'am..." She mumbles.

"Thank you, m'lady." I say. She rushes out. I hold up the dress. It's rich red velvet, with gold trim, fit for a lady. I put it on, a perfect fit. The neckline is low and exposes my shoulders, long sleeved, and a tight bodice with a ball gown skirt. Tucked into one of the immense pockets on the inside is a gold necklace and a circlet, and in the other one is a pair of gold satin slippers. They've outdone themselves. I wear the ensemble and feel absolutely gorgeous. The red makes my green eyes pop even further and looks the same color as my hair. It isn't as comfortable as my trusty purple dress but it's a good deal prettier and since my purple dress is absolutely filthy and somewhere with the supplies the Rohirrim brought, I have no choice but to be fabulous.

I leave my room and walk down to the Houses of Healing. The place is much quieter now, thankfully, but I'm not willing to barge into rooms to find my friends. I sit on one of the benches at the entry and wait for somebody. Soon enough, a nurse strolls out of the hallway.

"Ah, the young woman with one leg. I see you're back." She smiles. "What'll it be this time? Lost an arm?" She must have been a nurse while I was here. Rude.

"I'm here to visit my friends. Lady Sarah, the she-elf, Lady Eowyn, and Meriadoc."

"Oh, them. There's a handsome young man with Sarah, and the other two have come under a case of the Black Breath. Lord Aragorn swears he can heal them, so he's gone to gather some herbs, but I think he's lost it. Rumor is he fancies Lady Eowyn." Oh, dear. Who told her that? How did that even become a thing?

"Can't believe all you hear. Show me to Lady Sarah, then." She leads me down the hall and opens a door. Sunlight is peeking through an open window with the curtains gently waving hello. She's laying in her bed, pale and frail, her left arm bandaged but still Sarah, and Legolas is sitting in a chair he's moved next to the bed.

"Hey." I smile.

"Dayna Rebeka Greene, get over here right now. I'm absolutely furious with you." I wrinkle my nose. "That circlet clashes with your hairdo. And your hair. It looks like a bird's nest. Honey, it's long again and you can't just ignore it like it's short." I laugh at her mock seriousness. "Thanks."

"I'd punch your arm but that orc already took care of it for me." I grin at her.

"You're going to need some ice for that burn." Legolas smirks. Well, Sarah doesn't hesitate to punch him. She's doing fine.

"Both of you, shut up. Dayna, I have to ask you a favor. I need you to be my maid of honor and my wedding planner."

"Sarah, you did it? Congratulations!"

"You and Boromir were a driving force there. I can't be outdone by you."

"Sarah, though, you want me to be a wedding planner? I couldn't remember my head if it wasn't screwed on." No joke. I've forgotten everything ever at least once. I went to school barefoot once.

"Yeah, but you've got good taste. Like, dresses and stuff. And Legolas says okay as long as he gets to pick the cake." Looking at Legolas, he's about to cry laughing.

"Everyone's hooking up in the middle of war, aren't they?" I mumble under my breath. "Fine, I'll do it. But not until this is all over." I say.

"Thanks!" Sarah squeals. "I'd hug you if I weren't severely bruised and banned from leaving my bed for the rest of my life according to Ioreth."

"What'd you tell her?"

"Maybe that the old witch had better let me go fight and yell at my friend for leaving me with her. How'd you stand her?"

"It helped that I was blacked out for three days. You should try it sometime. Makes everyone more tolerable."

"Dayna, I need to talk to you in the hallway." Legolas says. He stands up and we both walk out to the door. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to her. Ioreth says she's punctured a lung, and she might not live if it doesn't heal. She can only talk on sheer luck. You're making everything better for her. She won't be able to do anything until it's fully healed, so by being here you're making her infinitely happier."

"Oh. I didn't think it was that serious. I thought she'd be out within the week."

"It'll be at least a month, assuming she lives."

"She'll miss a lot. And she'll be bored."

"That's why it means so much that you're here. You keep her from being bored."

"Thanks for telling me. Does she know?"

"Yes. Ioreth, for all her crabbiness, can't possibly let a patient go unawares."

"And the wedding? You're serious about cake?"

"She proposed first thing. She thought she was going to die, because she could hardly breath, and she didn't want to die without telling me. She's doing better."

"She really does love you. She used to say she'd never get married."

"Her? She who had her wedding entirely planned and rambled about it?"

"Then why does she need me?"

"To make you feel important, I suppose. But no matter, thanks."

"Go back in?" I ask.

"Yes." He opens the door goes back in. I stay in the hallway. I think I'm going to visit Eowyn and Merry. As I'm striding down the hall, my dress swishing, I hear shouting.

"We've done it! Gods, Boromir, we've done it!" Aragorn gleefully yells from the opposite end of the hallway. I run to the sound, my dress getting in the way. Eru, I'm never wearing this thing anywhere ever again.

"Done what?" I ask, shocked.

"The kingsfoil, it worked! They're all back. Awake!" Aragorn hugs me out of happiness, and I'm standing there awkwardly.

"I need to speak with Eowyn. And probably Merry. And Boromir, go talk to Faramir. I haven't met him yet, but I probably should." I smile and shove Eowyn's door open. She's lying in bed, her arm in a sling, and sitting up. She looks really, really dead, but also alive. Sorry, that's an absolutely terrible description. Her eyes are open and she's looking around, but she looks hollow. There isn't any emotion in her eyes except sadness. "Eowyn." I hug her. Wow, this has been a really huggy day.

"Dayna." Oh, god, she's like a living corpse. "I had terrible dreams."

"Shh, love. It's the Black Breath. The nightmares, they're part of the darkness and evil they feed on. You're going to be okay. And guess what? Sarah and Legolas are engaged. I'm going to be a wedding planner and she told me to ask you to be a bridesmaid. She's hurt too, but she'll be okay, and so will you. By the way, I've found just the guy for you. I can't wait for you to meet him!" I squeal. Oh, yes, I'm going to get her and Faramir together. Speed up the process, play matchmaker. Her eyes widen again, this time with light and hope. "I promise, he'll love you."

"You do?"

"Yes. You can't walk, I mean, you're still healing from everything, and you're weak, but soon enough. He had the Black Breath as well, hon. He's alright now as well. Besides, I have connections with his family. I know his brother." God, I need to stop rambling.

"Can you send Eomer? I'm a bit tired."

"Sure. I'll tell him. He's been worried sick. Well, I'll see you later, then, m'lady." I smile as I gently shut the door behind me. I go to Merry's room, and Pippin's already caught up with him, telling him everything.

"Merry!" I run across the room and hug him so tight I'm afraid he's going to pop. I worried about him. "You don't go killing anymore ringwraiths, right?" I scold.

"No." He weakly says, but he's smiling feebly.

"Sorry I nearly killed you hugging you."

"It's alright. Pip here nearly talked my ear off."

"Pippin!" I say.

"Can't help it. A lot's happened since he came in, and I had to tell him all about Gandalf and my adventures."

"Adventures? Try everything that's happened to me, sunny." And then I sit there and tell them everything, except Boromir and I's engagement. I save that for the very end.

"You two? Engaged? Like a real wedding?" Pip laughs. "Isn't anybody west of Mordor that would marry you, Dayna. Or Boromir for that matter."

"Apparently there is, Pip. And I want you and Merry to be honored guests, perhaps even speakers." I glance over at Merry, who is peacefully snoozing. "You can tell him when he wakes up. I have to go. It was great seeing you both." I leave again.

I go to the next room, and that's where Faramir, similar to Boromir in face but otherwise quite the opposite in appearance, is, and Boromir is sitting in one chair next to the bed. He's talking, but quietly.

"Hello. You must be Faramir." I wave timidly. "I'm Dayna."

"Boromir told me about you. Welcome to the family." I blush.

"You're too kind, Boromir. Telling everybody and their mother." I roll my eyes and kiss his cheek.

"I have to tell my brother things like this. He is family."

"You didn't tell your father."

"Father was...not stable. Faramir is my younger brother, and my closest friend."

"Good to meet you any way you slice it, Faramir. I'm glad to be welcome here." I nod and look at Boromir. "I have to go, love. It was nice seeing you, Faramir." I leave and go back up to the Citadel, this time going for the Hall of Records.

I'm so incredibly bored. I look up every possible thing I can learn about elven weddings, elven relationships, elven bonding, etcetera, because I have to learn about this. So in a real elven wedding, they're engaged for a year and have silver rings, explaining the ones Galadriel gave me. Then, if they decide not to get married, they melt them down. So if they go through, at the wedding ceremony, it's similar to ours, except everything's in Elvish. There's some special sayings that are only in Elvish that mortal ears can't hear, and then the bride and groom exchange new rings, this time gold. Afterwards, some people also speak, usually friends and family, and the bride's mother presents the groom with some form of jewelry and the groom's father presents the bride with a necklace. I don't think the 'parents' thing is going to work for us. Moving on, there's usually a large, relatively chaotic after party, since elves don't like these things organized, and then, after the after party, there's the actual, ahem, act of marriage. That's right, folks, we get laid. And then, it's over. We're married. Whoo. Not too shabby. I am, however, going to have to plan (at least) two of these things, and knowing Sarah, she's going to want hers massive, even though I just want a little humble wedding. I'm halfway through my tenth scroll, when the door opens to the little chamber I'm in regarding Elvish customs, when Aragorn bursts in.

"Meeting time. I knew I'd find you here. You're reading up on traditions of the elves, aren't you? I can't say I blame you."

"I wish to plan my wedding properly. Where I'm from, they're very different."

"No matter. We're all meeting except, of course, for Sarah, in the hall. Hurry up." I follow him out the door, out of the Hall of Records, and back into the palace entry. Gimli is leaning on the wall smoking a pipe, Legolas is standing next to him talking, Boromir is sulking next to a table, Gandalf is relaxing next to a column, and Eomer is here too, standing in the doorway staring at his helmet. I go sit on the throne, and then the meeting starts.

"What's all this for? I was reading." I smile at everybody. "Hey, I like this seat." Aragorn glares at me, as if to say, that's going to be mine soon. Ha ha, motherfucker. It's mine for now.

"Mordor is regrouping, and Sam, Carolina, and Frodo have not yet destroyed the Ring. They will have to face the armies." Gandalf cringes.

"A diversion. We should march on the Black Gate. Walk into a death trap and empty Gorgoroth." I grin. Ah, the tactical advantages of foresight.

"We'll lose too many men." Eomer says.

"If we don't, then we'll lose the three of them and the entire war, Sauron will cover the world in a second darkness, and we'll all die. Which do you prefer? War is hell, my friend." I purse my lips in irritation. Yeah, the throne suits me. I'm a queen, bitch.

"She's right, Eomer. Sacrifices must be made. The question is when." Wow, Big Whitey agrees with me. Thanks, Gandalf.

"When will be best? We need to make preparations, and give them time. Besides, it's best to keep Sauron watching us for as long as we can without having him lose his focus." Gimli says.

"Two weeks." Legolas responds. "He'll focus for barely any longer, and we'll give the trio as much time as we can."

"Right. Meeting adjourned?" I ask, laying sideways on the throne, my feet (foot) in the air on the left and my head on the right.

"We've finished. And get off of the throne." Aragorn says. I reluctantly climb off the ice cold chunk of stone. It needs pillows, I conclude. This is going to be an exceedingly long two weeks.

For the next two weeks, I habitually visit Sarah, have conversations with Boromir over history and stories among other things, scavenge for clothes, eat lots of food, ride Crescent around the fields, and lazy around in a very bored manner. Seriously. It's uneventful, boring, and absolutely terrible. I mean, it's quite a slow down, and I'd been used to all the business. And now, it was all absolutely over for the time.


	15. Chapter 15

Finally, after so much waiting I would have killed somebody, the day comes. Oh yes, we're about to leave. I put my orange shirt and pants back on, since I got my things back and had them washed, and I got custom armor made that's supposedly harder than steel and fits me perfectly made, and I put on a leather vest and my Lorien cloak. Lastly, I take my bow and sword. I could pass for a guy. All ready. The men gather at the gates, and there's a lot of them. Thousands. Crescent is in the stables, so I lead him out to the army. I search the crowd for my friends, and I find Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas (who is abnormally mopey), Boromir, Pippin, and Gandalf all towards the front of the group.

"Morning. Are you ready?" I smile.

"As we'll ever be." Boromir returns the grin.

"The rest of you? I mean, this is really important."

"Of course, we are just as ready as we usually are." Legolas says.

"Which is hardly at all, lad. We always succeed anyways." Gimli strikes again. I suppress my laughter for the time being.

"We must march soon. Come, let us prepare to march." Aragorn declares. I'm not going to argue this time. However, we've got a banner, and most of the men, including Aragorn and Boromir, are wearing embroidered vests with the White Tree on them. Shmancy. The Black Gate is about twenty miles past Osgiliath, so it's a decent length ride. Of course, I make sure I'm right next to Boromir.

"Do you think the plan will work?" I ask.

"Sauron might not take the bait in other circumstances, but he's still searing from Pelennor. He wants revenge."

"We don't know that. We're walking into a death trap if we fail. Like a mouse trying to get cheese without tripping the wire." Boromir looks at me like a crazy person. Oh, wait, we don't have real mousetraps here.

"Still, even if we buy them a second it will be worth it."

"Perhaps. I'm afraid. This battle is for nothing but to buy time. That's all they need, except maybe a bit of food." It was a joke, but not really a funny one. They probably did actually need food. Poor little ones. Caro is taking care of them.

"Have you ever seen the gate before?" I inquire. I haven't but I assume it's sort of like the movies, right?

"Never. I've heard tales of it. A place of terror, a gate none but those truly evil voluntarily pass through."

"Sounds terrible. I mean, we're going to face it in combat and everything, but I'd rather not if I had a choice. I'm more scared of what's behind it, though."

"There is naught to fear but fear itself." Boromir recites. I had told him that.

"Mordor thrives on fear. Nazgul feed on it. And orcs breed it. Behind that gate is a wall of fear."

"Then we show courage despite our fear."

"Courage is not a lack of fear, but acting in spite of it."

"You think I don't know that, love?"

"I know you know that."

"You need to listen more."

"Shut up!" I shove him, and he nearly falls off his horse. We're both laughing. "Sorry." I giggle.

"Young ones, calm down, both o' you. We're almost there." Gimli calls in front of us. I look around. I can't see the gate yet, what a failure my elf eyes are, but the mountains of Mordor are so close I could reach out and touch them. The ground is dry and brown, and the sky is an ominous, deep gray. It isn't like the welcoming storm of Helm's Deep, natural. This one was born of evil and malicious intent. I'm usually fearless, but this place is drawing it out of me like a straw in a glass of Coke.

"Can you feel it, though." I murmur. "It's like a cloud of darkness here." The men behind us go completely silent. We turn around a corner, and there's the gate. It's a black iron monstrosity, spiked, and tall as the mountain it's built upon. Complicated winches and bars I assume force it open adorn its sides. And it radiates fear.

Aragorn nods at us to follow him up to the gate. The Fellowship rides forward to him anxiously. We all walk forward with our horses. "Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth! Let justice be done upon him!" If I were Aragorn I'd be scared out of my mind. I am not, and he is fearless. I bite my lip. The gate begins to click and scream, and a gap opens to a troop of men, led by a disfigured orc, or man? I don't even know. His eyes are like literal flames, and his face was like a skull.

"I am the Mouth of Sauron. Is there any in the company strong enough to speak with me, let alone understand me? A weak king indeed. You cannot best me. I am the messenger." He shouted. Dude, I hate to break it to you but despite your grotesqueness and title, I'm not all that afraid. Except for Aragorn and I, everyone backs up. "Who rides with you, king? A lady of the court? So weak are you that a woman is your guard."

"I am no lady. I am a warrior, and fear should burn in your heart at the sight of me, the she-elf, queen of storms and thunder. You do not scare me." God, I'm an idiot. I need to learn to shut my mouth.

"Foolhardy, headstrong she-elf, like the rest of your people. Nevertheless, I have tokens to show you if you can bring yourself to look upon them." He pulls out a pack, and Frodo's mithril armor falls out and so does a small silk package. I assume it's Caro's. Oh no, oh no, oh no, she needed it and now she didn't have it. This is not good at all. I don't even know what it is, and I'm scared. I back up a bit, the color draining from my face. "Good, good! I see they were dear to you, the three of them. They are broken, and have failed. They will be held prisoner for the end of their days."

"Lies!" I scream, a tear running down my cheek. I pull my bow off my back and shoot straight into his armor's chink at the neck. It's a shot that would have made Legolas proud. He falls from his terrible horse with a thud.

"Remind me never to strike her friends." I hear Eomer behind me. The company that was with the Mouth stands there dumbstruck for a second, then ride back to the gate. We watch them, and a few minutes later, the horns sound. I've gone and done it. I've started a fight to end all fights. First, however, the men line up.

"Men and women of the West! My brothers and sisters! I see in your eyes a fear that would take me. There will come a day when the courage of men shall fail, and all bonds of friendship and love will be broken, but it is not this day! This day we fight!" Aragorn yells as he rides along the front lines. We all cheer, loud and strong, a united army.

Suddenly, the gates creak open, and I swear to god, they've got all the orcs of Mordor plus all the ones we fought at Pelennor, plus all the ones that invaded Minas Tirith, plus the ones at Helm's Deep, plus the orcs of Isengard, plus the orcs of Moria. And there's trolls. More trolls than you could fathom. At least a legion. My first instinct of "run" is replaced with, "come at me, bro, we can take 'em!" And I find that incredibly worrying. I begin shooting arrows with Legolas, since their archers are still crap, and we take out the front line. Soon, however, they reach us.

"Take the left flank, Eomer!" I hear somebody yell through the commotion. I swing my sword at countless orcs and slash a few times at a troll or two. Something tells me, however, that the battle's only begun. Time, I tell myself. That's all we're here for. Put up a fight. I watch my comrades. They're all overpowered, and even Gimli's stopped counting. Time! I scream in my head. I slice and cut my way through dozens of orcs, and then I see them.

"NAZGUL!" somebody shrieks. Black giants fly in the sky, their wings like night on the sky. They cry out, and I cover my ears in pain. However, Gandalf takes out his staff and begins shooting beams of light at them, keeping them away. The eagles of Manwë swoop in and begin clawing at their . I climb onto a troll's back nimbly and drive my sword into the back of its neck. It convulses a bit, then falls on top of some orcs.

I look up behind the gate, and Mount Doom is looking ominous as ever. Suddenly, the Great Eye, at least a hundred miles away but still visible from here, bursts into flame. I know, it was an eye of fire to begin with, but this time it's like a bad kind of burning. The tower begins to collapse.

"Aragorn!" I shout. "Aragorn, they've done it! Look, they succeeded!" I'm giddy that we've done so well. We're all shouting in victory, we've done it, the day is saved! The orcs begin to retreat, and then we see it. Mount Doom is pouring over its fiery hot rock. Suddenly, everyone seems to lose a bit of their gusto. The ground around the orcs begins to collapse and our men shrink back into a tight circle. The gate begins to sink and buckle, and we all duck and cover our heads. When the dust is settled, Gandalf is gone, and the eagles are as well. The Nazgul are gone as well, but I'm pretty sure they're dead.

"We ought to leave." I say to Aragorn as he's talking to Eomer.

"Dayna, it isn't that simple. Some men are wounded and we must respect the dead."

"Where's Pippin?" Boromir walks up behind me. He's concerned and panicky.

"I saw him take on a troll. Check underneath them." I say nonchalantly. He walks away. "Aragorn, we can't stay. We must return to the city."

"What threat faces us? Sauron?" Aragorn scoffs.

"No. But this place makes me uneasy. Perhaps Sauron's power is gone, but darker things are here." I pout.

"We'll be ready to leave by nightfall." Aragorn says, and goes back to conversation with Eomer, the two kings planning.

I decide then and there that I am going to help get the fallen back and do whatever I'm told is appropriate. I walk over many, many, dead orcs, but I only find one man. He's fairly young, probably about 17. My age. An arrow is protruding from his chest and there is a gash on his arm that's clotted with black blood. I pick him up easily and carry him to Legolas, who's on the very edge of the ledge.

"I found this one. What do we do?" I say softly.

"I'd recommend we bury them, if we can get them that far, but it would be improper to bury them in such a place." I nod in understanding.

"I'm sure it's probably wrong to burn them." I suggest.

"Right."

"Do I have to carry him?" I ask.

"No. We'll line up the dead. We've only found a few."

"How are we going to get them back?" I raise an eyebrow.

"We do have wagons." Legolas shrugged.

"It's so strange that you're accustomed to death." I say, off topic of course.

"I didn't used to be. This changed me." He mumbles. I walk away. I mope around for a while, and I watch the wagons load, from a distance. I don't want to look on the faces of men that died because of my idiocy.

"We ride!" Eomer calls, riding through the area. I climb on Crescent and ride towards the back. In silence, we ride through the night, arriving very early in the morning, before sunrise. The White city is dark in the morning, and we ride through the gates very slowly and tiredly. The wagons stop outside the city, near the burial grounds. I don't stay and watch. I take Crescent to the stables and walk back up to the Citadel.


	16. Chapter 16

I go to my room, then change out of my once again disgusting clothes, bathe, and put on a nightgown with long sleeves and a sheer skirt with an empire waist. Very pretty. I don't go to bed, however. I put on some slippers (I know I only need one, but hey, I need to keep up my appearance) and walk to Boromir's room. The door is locked. Then, I remember that he's staying in the steward's quarters now. The large double doors are at the end of the hall. I peek in, and inside is a small living room, comfortably furnished, with a little dining table. I walk in and sit on the sofa, a white cushioned bench. The sun is rising out the large window. I relax a bit, and then I hear a door creak open.

"Hello." I say happily.

"Oh my goodness, you just scared the living daylights out of me." He looked me over. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I sort of just wanted to talk." I smile and gesture for him to sit down. "About things we haven't talked about before, I mean. Because all we've ever really talked about is war. Other things are important."

"And you had to wear that?" He glances at my sheer gown and raises his eyebrows. "We aren't married yet."

"Oh, god, this was just really comfortable. Sorry." I shrug. True enough that it was a cozy gown.

"Well, what do you want to talk about?"

"Friends. Our childhood. Music. What we want to do when we're married. Stories. What things mean to us. The perfect date. I don't know."

"Date?"

"Like, when two people in a romantic relationship set out a fixed meeting place at a time and go do things."

"Ah. I think it would be a good date if we were to buy a cake, then sit and eat it together."

"Cake?" I giggle. "I mean, I love cake, but there's more than cake for me. First, I'd like to go for a walk in the woods, not necessarily far, but I love woods. Then we'd go eat dinner somewhere special together, and then we'd go home and read a book out loud together." If we'd been home, I would have said to watch movies, but books are better.

"Yours is better than mine. When do you want to go on said date?"

"Not now! This is a date." I laugh. "Okay, our wedding. What do you want to do?"

"A big wedding. Half of Gondor shall be invited. In the City, of course, and have a traditional wedding like my parents."

"Oh, I was thinking the exact opposite, goodness! I would like a small wedding in the woods, a picnic, only our closest friends invited, and an elven ceremony with elven traditions. I mean, I do respect your family's traditions and everything, but I don't know them. Explain?"

"The bride wears white, and walks down the aisle in the chapel with her father, and then the bride and groom take vows and exchange rings after some readings, and then they kiss, and an after party takes place."

"That sounds like the weddings back home. I went to my sister's wedding. I was a bridesmaid, even though I was very young." 12. I was 12. But it was awesome.

"You want it small?"

"Yes. I don't like crowds when I don't have a sword. They scare me a bit."

"You stood up to Sauron's Mouth himself, carried an explosive hunk of metal through a battlefield, and lost a leg, but you're afraid of crowds."

"Yes." I let it sink in for a second. "Too many people make me uneasy."

"I'm used to leading them. You're used to standing out of them."

"It's ironic, isn't it? You're the captain, head of Gondor's armies, and you fall for the stick out elf girl who hates crowds."

"Very. Let's talk about food first. Would it offend anybody if we had meat?"

"No. Galadriel and Celeborn just don't eat it, and maybe we should invite Elrond and his house. I mean, they're important."

"Good. I think we should have some great roasted lamb and boar." I love lamb. Okay, that's really terrible.

"We need the best cake we can get, of course, since we both have an affinity for cake. But I think we should serve berries and clotted cream too."

"Of course. And who should be invited?"

"The fellowship, of course, and Eowyn's become a close friend, so she'll have to come. Galadriel and Celeborn, Elrond and his sons, Arwen too, since she and Aragorn will probably marry before us, and Faramir, Ioreth would find some real humor in this but she'd probably be cranky the entire time, and anybody else? I'll probably meet more people in the city gradually, but that's my list for now."

"I have many captains under me that I'm close to. I feel they should be invited."

"Okay. So where do we want it?"

"I want it in the city."

"I want it in the woods near the Anduin." I smile.

"We can have it in the mountains above the city."

"I'd be okay with that."

"That's all I think we can plan for now." He smiles and wraps his arm around my shoulders. I lean on him.

"Do you have any good books?" I ask.

"Somewhere. You like reading?"

"I love it. There's something magical about it."

"Interesting. The girl with no patience for waiting loves books."

"Don't underestimate the power of words. Here, you have your bookshelf." I look it over. "Let's see, Quenta Silmarillion. I've read parts of this before. You want to listen to it? I can read Elvish." I smile.

"Sure. I'll listen." He smiles and leans back on the couch and I lean on him. I begin reading.

"In the beginning, there was Eru, the one..." I read on to the end of the third book, and Boromir is snoring. We've been up all night and most of the morning. I put down the book and snuggle against him, then fall asleep warm and safe.

I wake up to a door opening. "Dayna? You in here?" It's Caro's voice. I bolt up, though my fiancee is still asleep.

"Caro!" I scream. "Caro, Caro, Caro! Oh my god, it's been so long." I cry and hug her.

"Chill. I just broke out of the Houses of Healing. Aragorn was making me stay because, you know, I just got carried cross country by an eagle and also just got out of Mordor. So I scraped my knees, got a bit dehydrated." She says it so calmly that it almost betrays the sadness and pain in her eyes.

"No, no, no, you aren't okay. You've seen more than that. You walked through the Black Lands, and you've been...You've been hurt!" I run my finger along a poorly healed scar on her arm, it's got a black tint to it.

"That's nothing, just poison. Shelob, you know."

"Oh, god, you faced Ungoliant's daughter? Caro!"

"No big. I had a sword."

"But you didn't have whatever it was Galadriel gave you. Some guy showed it to us outside the Black Gate. What was it?"

"It was for strength. A pendant."

"That's a priceless gift, Caro. You would have needed it."

"I know. I didn't want to put it on, though."

"You should have. Anyways, the orcs who stole it are dead, Sauron's destroyed, and you're okay. How's Frodo?" She bites her lip and looks away.

"Not well."

"I'm sorry. Getting rid of the Ring at least helped a little, didn't it?"

"Yes, but he's still, well, the Witch King on Weathertop..."

"Oh."

"Yeah. It still hurts him. He's also been too far into Mordor, with the Ring, and the wound, and Shelob. He's broken."

"And Sam?"

"He's alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic. But he doesn't leave Frodo's side. I hardly do either. You know, I love him like my little brother."

"I know. You have reason to. You've defended him through thick and thin."

"I don't know how I'm going to let him go."

"It'll be okay. I mean, it'll be for the better." I hug her. She begins to cry.

"I've had to be strong, support Frodo and help Sam, for months now. I haven't had a chance to cry." She sobs until all her tears are gone. I remember, everybody loved Caro back home, she was like their little sister, cared for, never hurt and cherished. Funny, bright, Caro. And now, she was different. Harder. I cradle her and sing to her, barely keeping my tears back. It hurts to see her this way.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"I don't know." I unwrap my arms from around her.

"Have you seen Sarah yet?"

"Went to her first. It's a shorter walk."

"Did she tell you her news?" I smile.

"Yes."

"I have to tell you mine, then. Know why I was in here?"

"Vaguely. Aragorn mentioned something about the two of you."

"God, he's such a middle schooler. We're engaged, but we aren't married yet, in either terms."

"Good. I'd be really, really angry with you."

"Technically Sarah and Legolas are though."

"She told me. It's just, I don't want you marrying a mortal until you're sure, you know..."

"Why don't you think I'm sure? Everyone seems to ask that."

"It's just a bit odd. I mean, I guess..." She trailed off. She was bringing up the elf/human relationship again.

"Galadriel's the one who suggested it to me. If anybody knows, it's her."

"I'm glad you're happy."

"You're alone again."

"Fifth wheel. Everyone loves me as their sister and friend. Never their plus one."

"It's okay. You'll find somebody. I mean, you're gorgeous and sweet and absolutely hilarious. Here, let's go talk to Sarah. I think she'll be happy to see both of us." I lead her by her arm out of the suite, then to my room where I change into a blue linen dress that's sufficiently opaque, and out of the palace, down the steps to the Houses of Healing. I push my way past Ioreth, who is fuming that Carolina had snuck out under her watch.

"Come on." I whisper as I open Sarah's door. "Sarah!"

"Hey. Guess what? I got to see Sam today!"

"I heard he was back. I haven't seen him yet, though. I mean, I have missed him."

"He kept asking me about everyone. He hasn't been allowed to leave either." Sarah nods.

"Ioreth's got us all under her thumb!" Caro says. We all laugh. Old dictator.

"I think we should go see him. He'll be with Frodo, who's still out, of course. Poor kid." Sarah says.

"You realize that he's fifty, thirty four years older than you?" I say.

"Not here. Here, I'm like 800 years old." Sarah responds.

"Anyways, you can't get up." I add.

"Sure can. Legolas has been helping me and Ioreth said it was okay."

"You're doing better than she thought." I grin.

"Let's go see him, though." Caro anxiously mumbles.

"Right." Caro and I help Sarah up and walk her to the room down the hall where Frodo is. The door is wide open, and every member of the Fellowship is there.

"There the lasses are!" Gimli is beaming from ear to ear. "We were waiting."

"Frodo! You're...you're awake!" I push past Legolas and sit on the side of the bed. "We were all so worried." I take his hand.

"Dayna." He smiles. Merry and Pippin are jumping out of their pants while looking at Frodo, so Frodo is being surprisingly calm considering that. "I hope you've fared better than I have."

"I'm not too terribly sure." I lift the skirt of my dress, revealing a bit of the wood. It's been nicked, and a bit damaged, but otherwise, it's the same polished cherry. "See? I got shot, that day at the lake." I smile a bit. "But, you know, you've seen a lot that I couldn't even fathom. Mordor's a scary place."

"You're telling me, of all people, that." Frodo smiles back at me. It's good to see him not scared or freaked out.

"Dayna, you may want to tell him." Boromir says, with vigorous nodding from Sarah and Caro, and a vulgar hand sign behind Boromir's back from Sarah.

"Right. Frodo," I begin with a sigh, "Boromir and I are engaged. We want you to be the ring bearer at our wedding." I barely hold in my laughter as he rolls his eyes dramatically.

"Gandalf asked me to be a ring bearer 18 years ago, and we all know how that turned out." He kids. We all laugh, including Gandalf.

"Now, Mr. Frodo, I think that's enough. You need your rest." Sam says, shooing us. He might be three and a half feet tall, but I think we're all a bit intimidated by the tough guy.

"Sam! We've got guests!"

"Mr. Frodo, you're dead tired. I know you'd love to stay and talk, but you need to sleep."

"Fine. I must tell you to leave, else my gardener will for me." Frodo says. "It's good to see you all again, though!" Ah, Frodo, the perfect little host. We all leave, Caro and Sam last. They're dreadfully close to him.

"It's good to see him healthy and happy again." I say to Boromir. "He won't ever be the same, though."

"The ring changed many people."

"Including you, including me. And it changed fate."

"Without it... where would we be?"

"I think I'd be still back at home, just another shy scholar girl who got lost every time she left home."

"I'd be the captain of a failing country. We'd all just be nothing."

"Except Gimli and Legolas. I mean, Gimli's a dwarf lord, and Legolas is a prince. But the rest of us? Nah, nothing special."

"We're all important." Boromir says.

"Not me. Just another girl who'd drift away, get lost, when she grew up, a lonely dreamer in books all the time. Nothing special there. I'm different now. Braver, brasher, bolder. And very, very, much cooler. I was a loser. Nobody liked me except Sarah and Carolina, Savannah, and maybe Hannah. And Tyler."

"I don't think you ever were. I think the brave, strong woman I know was always there."

"I think you've lost it. But maybe you're right. When I first met you, you were a tough, hardened guy, and now you're just absolutely kind and funny and friendly, and I totally get it. We've got layers. And they're all a different flavor. You've just got to reach the core. Like a gum ball."

"Gum ball?"

"Never mind." I giggle. "I love you."

"I love you too." He smiles and kisses my cheek.

"Could you afford a date tomorrow night, the edge of the Tower of Ecthelion?"

"What would we do?"

"I don't even know. Just meet me there, okay?" I practically run back up to the Citadel, and yank the door to my room open. Just where I usually sit is a tiny girl, barely thirteen, sitting in my chair.

"Oh, um, excuse me for asking, but who are you?" I ask as politely as I can.

"My name is Indra. I was told that from here on, I was your handmaiden." She nods a bit and raises her eyes off the ground.

"Oh. Well, pleased to meet you, Indra. So what do you want to do?" I smile to seem as friendly as I can. Hey, a good impression never hurts. Besides, I want to be her friend, not her keeper.

"I don't know. I was told..."

"Don't worry about what you were told. Let's have fun, okay?" I beam. "Now what do you like doing?"

"I like weaving." She mumbles.

"I don't know how to weave. But I know how to crochet and I can knit a bit." She stares at me. Right, I don't think anybody knits or crochets here.

"I can teach you. You can teach me how to...crochet?" She tilts her head like a confused cat.

"Okay. Can we make something to brighten this place up a bit? It's just gloomy and gray." I gesture to my stone walls. She shrugs.

"I guess. I don't have a loom or yarn."

"Not a problem. There are plenty of places where I can get some. I know where they keep them in the city. The weaver's center is pretty cool." I grab her hand and drag her out of my room. "Come on!" She is a bit taken aback, but also excited.

"I've never been! Only used my mother's loom."

"Get ready for a shock." I pull her through the streets, navigating around people. Then, there's the door to the weaver's shop. I open it, and the shop is silent except for the clicking of the loom.

"Um, excuse me, but my friend and I are looking to purchase a loom and some thread." I call to the woman sitting across the room, weaving away.

"Now, hold on. I'll be there soon enough." She yells back. Indra and I stand there awkwardly until she stands up, brushes her hands off, and walks to the counter. "What was it?"

"We need some thread and a loom, and any other supplies we may need to begin weaving. She wishes to teach me the art, but has lost her supplies."

"Sure, sure." She takes a second look at me. "You're her! You're that she-elf, the storm girl they're talking about, hero of Minas Tirith, and rumor is, the captain's love."

"I guess so." I shrug sheepishly. "I mean, unless he's got another love and another she-elf holds the title of storm girl. And seriously, I'm not all that."

"Well, you can take whatever you like."

"I'm not going to take everything, just what I need, but thank you." I pick up the smallest loom I can, a bit of thread in blue and yellow, and a comb. Before I leave, however, I slip Indra a gold coin to leave on the counter. "Thanks!" I call as Indra and I walk out the door. We hurry off of the street, so that the old woman doesn't make us take the coin back. I don't want to leave her with absolutely nothing.

"So tell me about yourself." I say, carrying my new loom through the street.

"My father was a merchant. He died when I was young. My brother was a soldier. He died." She doesn't need to go any further with her brother. "My mom's all I have left, and she's old. No money for her anymore. She told me, get a job and put food on the table, or marry rich. So I talked to the head of the household at the palace, and then I was a kitchen girl. I got to sleep in the palace, better than the rat hole of my mother's house. And then, when Lord Denethor died, they switched the staff around. I was supposed to be a seamstress, but they said that an elf lady needed a handmaiden, and I asked Lord Aragorn, and he told me to surprise you." I didn't know she had it in her to talk so much.

"I need to talk to Aragorn about this 'surprise her' thing. I mean, you're awesome, but he's just messing with me at this point." I laugh.

"He said you'd need help with your wedding. Rumor is that it's Lord Boromir."

"Yeah, rumors are true. Man, word spreads like wildfire here. Tell two people, you might as well tell them all. Anyways, I'm betrothed to him."

"He's handsome."

"I know, right?" I laugh a bit, but I feel a twinge of defensiveness. My precious, I think. God. Just because she thinks he's attractive doesn't mean a thing. I bite my lip.

"You two are a strange pair, I hear. I've heard stories of him being a mighty captain, and you a wild storm girl with a sword, and together you're like different people. They say when you're with him you're a gentle spring breeze and he's a rainy fall day. Strange."

"I wouldn't call that accurate. We're just different when we fight. It takes ferocity and boldness to fight well, as we both do. And when we're around each other, we're just calmer. Nonetheless, we're together." I smile.

"When is the wedding?"

"I have no earthly idea. I think we were betrothed in February. Traditionally, elves wait one year before being wed. When is it now?"

"Mid-June. You can tell by the heat, yes?" Actually, I can't. I've grown up in Texas, and nothing could compare to that heat. It's around 80 degrees. This is autumn for me.

"No, I couldn't. It is, however, warm." I lie through my teeth. "That means the wedding is next February. A winter wedding." I always wanted a winter wedding. There's just something about the frosty cold, the white on the ground. Long sleeves, velvet, white, the world celebrating with me, and the flowers. Winter is honestly my favorite season.

"A winter bride means a wintery marriage."

"Come now. You don't believe the superstitions? Where I'm from February is a lucky month to get married. There's an entire day for love in February."

"It's many months away. I'm sure we can debate then."

"Indra, do you like any guys?" I grin.

"There's one..."

"Who?" I ask innocently.

"He's one of the guard's sons. His name is Brennan."

"Oooooh...!" I sing like a fifth grader.

"You can't say a word!"

"I won't." I zip my lips. "Now, let's get weaving!" I hand her the loom, and she shows me how she does it, weaving a striped pattern with the yellow and blue thread. She lets me try a few rows, but somehow I manage to tangle it.

"You'll get better." She reassured me, but as I worked the knots out, she stared at my clumsy hands getting used to dealing with delicate things again with a look of intimidation. Yeah, I'll get better, I think. When pigs fly. After about an hour, I notice the sun setting.

"Hey, Indra, I think you can go home now. I release you for the day. And I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!" I smile. "It's supper time."

"Ma'am, I have a room next to yours now. I'm supposed to help draw your bath and also prepare your clothes."

"Oh. Well, until I call for you, you're done for today. You don't have to be at my beckon and call. Really. I can handle myself, and I think of you more as a friend than a servant."

"Yes ma'am. When you're ready, I'll be in my room writing." She leaves. I shut the door behind her. Indra is sweet, but I'm really not comfortable with having a handmaiden.

I put on a dress suitable for dinner, a feast to celebrate Sam and Frodo's return and the announcement of Legolas and Sarah, and Boromir and my engagement. It's the biggest party in the longest time, and Sarah and I are going to be publicly introduced. I dig through my closet full of clothes and decide on a storm grey dress with teal accents in the pleats, silk with beautiful circles patterned into it, and teardrop shaped white jewels sewn onto the low collar. Long sleeves, tight on my arms, are the same teal. The dress of my dreams. I eagerly shove it on, brush my now long hair until it shines and braid it as best I can (it's still not terribly long), and put a silver circlet onto my head. I slip my ring onto my finger and put on some silver slippers. I look absolutely perfect, or as best I can. I hurry out of my room and into the hall.

The hall is usually very blank, boring, nothing but some statues of dead guys and a throne. Granted, very large, but very blank. Well, not now. It's bustling, tables with cloths of white, and mountains of food upon each. Chairs are crammed into seats, and I'm pretty sure Aragorn is throwing a party for the entire city at this point. Minstrels and musicians are preparing their performances, and servants are rushing about. It's become a regular party. I stand and watch for a second.

"Holy shit." I mumble under my breath. I've never seen the place so alive. I walk around, and then Aragorn walks in. Arwen hasn't arrived yet, but Aragorn's received word that she'll be here before the week's over. He's very eager to see her, and possibly make out with her.

"Where do I sit?" I ask across the hall.

"Place of honor, next to Boromir, who sits on my right."

"Makes sense, I suppose." I shrug.

"Would you rather sit in my throne?" He says sarcastically.

"The old thing is like sitting on a rock. No thank you." I kid. "Beats me why you want to sit there so bad."

"It is rightfully mine. Gondor needs its king returned."

"Good point. But at least put some pillows there. Just a suggestion for next time." I snigger as I leave for the steward's quarters. At the moment I need tea but there isn't time right now. I open the doors, and Boromir is finishing a letter he's writing, using the wall as a desk.

"Hey." I call.

"Can't you ever knock? One of these days I'm going to die of shock." He says. I laugh and kiss his cheek.

"How do I look?" I twirl, making my skirt rustle.

"Beautiful, as usual." He smiles and sets down the quill and parchment onto a table. "Are you ready to go?"

"Of course. It's a party partly in our honor." I respond. He takes my waist, and we walk together to the hall. By now, it's crammed full of people, from every walk of life. One thing remains the same, however. When they see Boromir and I, they part to let us through. Captains and cooks, pages and peasants, they all seem to revere us. I can get used to this. We sit in our places, Caro with the hobbits, Gimli next to Sarah and Legolas, and Boromir and I directly next to Aragorn, and after everybody finishes stuffing their faces, Aragorn stands to make his speech.

"Brothers, sisters, my people!" He yells loudly. "We are here today to celebrate our victory against the forces of Mordor and remember the fallen! We must thank many for our day, the brave men and women who have fought for our freedom and made us strong. Above all, we must thank three brave individuals. Frodo Baggins of Bag-End, Samwise Gamgee of the Shire, and Carolina Lionheart. They bore the Ring of Power to Mount Doom, risking themselves and taking damage beyond measure to their hearts and minds. They are noble among people.

"Next, we must celebrate the betrothal of those dear to me. Boromir, beloved Captain and the Steward, and his betrothal to Dayna, queen of storms and a leader of one of the greatest battles we've known. And second, Legolas, Prince of the Woodland Realm, and Sarah, lady of healing and seer of souls. May their love run deep for all the ages." I stare at my plate with those last words. "And now, we toast the victorious dead!"


	17. Chapter 17

The hobbits left a month ago, and Caro had decided to go with them. Orcs still spring up every now and then, but since they're leaderless, they're quick defeats. I've managed to perfect weaving and brighten my room, Boromir and I have gone on exactly 8 dates, and Arwen's arrived, to the chagrin of her father. Aragorn is officially king, and Boromir, as steward, got the fun of crowning him. There's been way too many parties. Faramir and Eowyn announced their engagement, and we went to Theoden's funeral, after which we saw Saruman groveling on the ground with Wormtongue. Losers. It's almost August now, and it's sticky hot. I fan myself, wearing the thinnest, least covering dress I can to cool off. Indra is sprawled on my bed, and I'm pretty sure she's trying to photosynthesize.

"It's hot. I'm bored." Indra says.

"I know. Let's get something cool to drink. Not wine, though. Iced tea. Lemonade. Orange juice. Chocolate milk." I mumble incoherently.

"Milk isn't chocolate. What's chocolate?"

"Amazing. It's like really sugary, creamy tea with a fruity flavor and no bitterness. It's good."

"Ew. Why would you drink it?"

"You eat it. Never mind. I want to go see Galadriel."

"She lives in Lorien."

"I know. It's like, a four day's ride away, I think."

"Then you can't."

"Yes, I can. I'll take Sarah. Girl's trip, I guess." I smile.

"Go ahead. You're going to get kidnapped by orcs or something." I roll my eyes.

"I can hold my own."

"One leg." Indra says singsongly.

"Little one, I've fought battles before you were alive. I think I can go. I'm just going to put on my old orange shirt and pants again, and then some way bread, and get on Crescent and leave."

"Fine. Can you get it yourself?"

"Yes."

"I'll leave so you can change." She shuts the door behind her, and I put on my orange shirt and pants, tug my boots on, then tie my hair back with a piece of yarn, tucking it into a bun and pinning it in place. I knock on Sarah and Legolas's door, since it's apparently okay for them to share a temporary room.

"Hey. Why are you dressed like a slob again?" Sarah says, opening the door. She's wearing one of Legolas's shirts, and as far as I can tell, no pants or shorts. It's loose on her, so it's like a short dress, but I'm pretty sure she's being rather improper.

"I'm going to Lorien for a few days. Wanna come?" I say. "It'll be fun. We'll get to talk to Galadriel. And you can tell her everything, I can tell her everything. She's been out of the loop."

"Sure." She says. "Legolas, I'm going to Lorien for a few days with Dayna. Okay?" She calls behind her. A pants-only Legolas walks behind her and strokes her hair.

"I don't like you going alone."

"She's here. I'm not alone. Besides, she's a fighter and I'm a healer. No better traveling duet."

"Sure. Go ahead. I guess you'll be fine." Sarah does a fist pump and shuts the door to get dressed. I go to the kitchen and steal some cram, tuck it into a small pack with a blanket, and go back to Sarah's room. She leaves and shuts the door behind her.

"He's so sweet. He cares about me and everything."

"So is Boromir. I mean, he's hilarious. And he's loyal." I smile. "Reminding me, I need to tell him goodbye. Give me a second." I tiptoe into Boromir's room, still not knocking. He's staring at a paper like it's a quadratic function. He really doesn't like being steward. He says it's as boring as watch grass grow.

"Hey, Sarah and I are going to Lorien for a while. I was just letting you know, 'kay?" I hug him from behind and look over his shoulder at his paper.

"Fine. At the rate the finances are going, you'll be back long before they're finished."

"Good luck, love." I giggle and ruffle his hair.

"Get home safely. And stay on the road."

"Of course." I smile. Sarah and I take the short cut more often than not, even though we shouldn't. "I'll see you again in a few weeks. I'm going to miss you." I kiss his cheek and leave.

"I'll miss you too." He calls as I shut the door.

"Alright, ready to go. You've got everything, right?" I say to Sarah.

"Yup. I don't get you and him." She mumbles as we walk through the doors to the city.

"What's not to get?" I ask.

"You two, well, you don't... you haven't..."

"We haven't been married like you and Legolas?"

"Yes. Why not?"

"I want to hold it off. And I want to hold to tradition. You know, so I can turn back until I'm absolutely sure."

"I mean, I guess I get that, but it's been months. You two are really serious."

"That's what you said about he-who-must-not-be-named." Oh, that was a low blow, and I know it the second I say it. Sarah's eyes burn.

"We said we weren't going to talk about him."

"You're still scared of him? Sarah, you've faced a thousand things scarier than him and never once freaked out. That's more than I can say. And he's worlds away, literally."

"I know. But it still hurts." I bite my lip. I should have known better.

"So in other news, Boromir and I have selected a date for our wedding." I change the topic after a moment of tension.

"Valentine's day, right?"

"You figured, huh?"

"You're predictable. You got engaged in February and you're getting married a year later. You've already worked it all out and everything. And it's going to be a beautiful snowy day, a bouquet of forget-me-nots and lilacs, and the color will be pale purple and green, and it's going to be small, on the top of the mountain, and you've got the dress started already. You want me to be a bridesmaid, and Caro too, possibly Eowyn, and when the bride's mother gives her hand you want it to be Galadriel."

"Wow. You've got it spot on. And yeah, lots of lace. When's your wedding?"

"The spring. Good omen, hon."

"You want me to plan it?"

"Sure. Remember? Legolas said it was okay and so did I."

"Yeah. Hey, Crescent." I call as we open the doors to the stable. He's eager to see me, and me him. I leap on and we both ride off west. Sarah and I are both good riders, and race a good ways. We stop for the night just outside Rohan. Sarah pitches a fire and I check around the campsite for anything mildly intimidating and end up accidentally killing a bird. I bury it properly (hey, I'm not a jerk or anything) and go sit next to the campfire, throwing different grass into the fire. I watch the little burning wisps drift up with the stars.

"You wanna sleep tonight?" I ask Sarah.

"Yeah, if you aren't too busy burning things. We should both sleep." Sarah says. I'm hesitant.

"Okay. I mean, it would be stupid to ride half asleep. But we should also probably keep watch."

"Dayna, seriously, Sauron's gone. Orcs aren't going to get us or anything. Chill." We both go to sleep after a few minutes, the gorgeous stars staring down at us.

I wake up to the sound of angry orcs. Great. I look around. Sarah's fighting some off, but there's about fifty. This would usually be a quick kill, but it's just the two of us, and we were caught off our guard. Besides, all I have is my sword and a blanket. I slash out at some of the ones near to me.

"Get the red haired one. She's the one we want." The leader calls. Oh, dear Lord. I lash out, but more of them are trying to get me.

Sarah is trying to fight, but one of them has tied her to a tree and taken her knives. She won't be getting out of that bind any time soon. I frantically look around, searching for some smoke or something, a campfire to run to. Nothing. I keep going, but I'm getting really tired, and most of them are still fine. One of them kicks right where my prosthetic leg meets my real one, and I buckle in pain. It's still sensitive there, and my armor usually covered it. Some slimy looking large nosed orc grabs my hands and ties them with some really scratch ropes, and then another one manages past my one kicking leg and ties my legs at the ankles together, and again above the knee. Somebody had to have warned them. I keep screaming, and Sarah is screaming too as she kicks at the tree in her binds. One of the orcs stuffs a gag in my mouth, and it's really stifling. I twist, trying to get them to drop me. Boromir! If only he were here. I stop struggling. It's in vain.

One orc tosses me over his back, a fairly large one. I'm like a sack of potatoes to him. As the sun rises, I realize we're headed east. We're going towards places I don't want to go. I doze off lazily. I have nobody to talk to, my sword is gone, and I'm living my nightmare. Finally, they stop for rest. Surprisingly, none of them suggest eating me. Apparently whoever is paying them is better than Saruman, because they've got decent way bread (which I refuse to eat) and they kill some deer in the woods and clean it. They don't untie my ropes but they set me down far from the fire and on a tree. I watch them talk, even though I don't understand them. Huddled in my little ball, I drift in and out of sleep, and in the morning, we leave again. We cross the Anduin, on the southern side so they can go unnoticed, in a few rafts. I'm tossed onto the bottom of the boat. They pull me out and keep walking. I remember Crescent. Sarah will get off and make it home, take care of him. Tell everyone. They'll look for me. I won't go lost.

We walk over the ruins of the Black Gate. So we're going to Mordor. This is bad, bad news. Sure, Sauron's gone, but the Black Handed one is still here, and if I remember correctly nobody here particularly like she-elves, or me, or Gondor, or anything I stand for except killing enemies. And I'm enemy here. It's long past dusk when we stop. And it's an orc city.

Torches, a smell of meat, orcs everywhere, and not just the men. Women and children, though I can't really tell much difference in them. Tents of crude pole frames and leathers stand all over. The orcs have a special cave set out for prisoners. It's empty, but they throw me into the dank pit after removing my binds. I feel the wall with my hands. There isn't any other branch, and after crawling and feeling with my hands, the one room is as deep as it goes. I find a few skeletons. I sit in the darkness and think. Where are they now? What's happened to my family back home? Is Sarah okay? What is the meaning of life? Why on earth don't they have chocolate here? How are Boromir and everybody else taking this? Are they going to kill me? I sit in the dark for hours upon hours. Perhaps days. I'm very thirsty and very hungry. Somebody tossed a jug of water in sometime, and some disgusting bread. I eat it eagerly. How long am I going to be here?


	18. Chapter 18

Alright, readers, Mommy's gonna switch perspectives here because it needs done, 'kay? She's gonna write in third person for a little bit.

Boromir remembered the last thing he'd told Dayna. "I'll miss you too." He never thought it would be this much. Sarah had returned a month ago, telling everyone about the night raid and Dayna's disappearance. Search parties had been sent out, men sent to every corner of the kingdom, all over the West. The Shire had even been searched, and the area of Rohan, Lorien. But it was as they feared. She was most likely to the east. It had hurt when they'd finally realized that.

"Don't worry. She'll be putting up a fight wherever she is." Aragorn had told him.

"What if she's dead?" Boromir had challenged.

"You'd know in your heart. Keep hope, friend." Aragorn said.

Boromir decided to put together a group to find her, but he'd been denied permission. He was needed here, and the city couldn't spare men with so many orc attacks. Sauron may have been defeated but that meant orcs had free reign. Gradually, life went back to normal for everyone else. Aragorn and Arwen got married, and the hobbits visited once. Finally, after requesting a third time in the middle of January, he had managed to convince Sarah, Gimli, Carolina (who had come as a special visit after a well worded letter), and Legolas to go with him.

"I want her back. I'm sure she's out there." Carolina said.

"I know she is. There isn't a doubt in my mind that she's alive. If she was taken by orcs, as Sarah says, she'll most likely be in Mordor. That means we must be prepared to face anything." The group had packed up their things and headed out on their horses.

I have been in the cave a lot longer than I thought I was going to be. The orcs bring me a jug of water a day, and a bit of bread a day, but nothing else, and I haven't seen the sun in months, as I've calculated from the nicks I make in a different spot on a rock every day. Almost five months. I had left Minas Tirith on the 10th of August, and today, I think, is somewhere in early February. I'm not cold, naturally, but I can't stand up from weakness and I can fit my hands around my waist. Sometimes a leader, I think, will come and try to talk to me, but I don't understand, and they end up hitting me, and I have a scar on my arm. This is not good. I lean on a rock wall and tap a rhythm, remember a riddle, make a pun. Anything to keep my mind going. I remember my favorite things. Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, I sing, despite my sore voice.

Then, I hear a horn. It is no orc horn. I hear swords, and then, the door to the cave opens. Sunlight peeks through, and it scorches my eyes. I cover them and cower a bit, then curl into a ball. Gentle hands pick me up, large hands, calloused from swords, but gentle. Boromir. He came for me! I think. He wrapped me in his cloak, since the orcs had left me with nothing but a grungy shift, though my prosthetic leg was thankfully still there, and I had hidden my engagement ring by weaving it into my hair, and carried me off. He put me on his horse first, and then got on. I can't open my eyes without squinting because of the light, and I sleep the entire way back to the city. When we get back to the gates, everybody is cheering. Apparently I had been a missing person? But Boromir doesn't bother with the glory. He takes me right to the Houses of Healing, pushing through the crowd.

Ioreth rushes to get me a bath, and she darkens the room so I can open my eyes. I take off my prosthetic for the first time in a long time, and remove the dirty shift before lowering myself into the tub. The water is a black color from all the dirt, and my hair is a matted mess. I finally can see myself, and my arms are like kindling, my legs are twigs, and my body is a stick. I'm pale, like milk maybe.

"How long was it?" I weakly whisper.

"Over six months. People were beginning to think you were dead." She says as she gently brushes my hair. "Boromir, poor boy, you've put him through a lot. He knew you were alive, he kept saying, and they couldn't spare any guard. So he wrote your friend, and took the other ones, and he said, we are going to find her. They were in Mordor for two weeks looking for you. He cares for you greatly, little one."

"I would do the same for him in a heartbeat." I mumble.

"I'm sure you would, but you aren't going anywhere until you get healthy enough again. Don't think I haven't heard about the wedding. And that forest lady, she's here too, to plan the thing for you. She says you can't do it right without her."

"Can too. I'm going anyways."

"Today's the sixth, love. If I remember, you wanted it on the fourteenth?"

"Yes."

"You aren't going to be ready for a wedding in eight days. You won't even be ready for solid food in eight days."

"I could eat a horse. Can you bring me some tea first?" I sit on the edge of the tub and wash my prosthetic in the bathwater. I put it back on and dry off. I stare in the mirror. My auburn hair has faded to a dust color and become thin. My green eyes look dead. My face is sunken. This had better be fixed. I don't want to have a wedding looking like this, and I know Boromir would love me anyways, but I want to look good.

"Tea's fine. You know, that man of yours, he got drunk once while you were gone, and he came to me and told me everything about you. Your tea, your books, the way the sun glints off your sword on your face, how pretty you look with orc blood in your hair, the way you never knocked, how you spoke. It made me sad."

"You're making me sad now as well. Just, please, bring me some tea and something to eat, so I can go to sleep." I ask politely.

"Of course. Sleep you need." She leaves, and I put on a white flannel nightgown. It's warm and snug, and I choose a room. I sit up in the bed and think. I don't remember much of anything except darkness in the cave, but it was months. It can't be. Yet snow, drifting lazily out of fat white clouds, is piled up on the rooftops. Ioreth brings me my tea and a piece of bread with butter silently, and I eat it. The tea brings warmth back into me, and the bread is sweet and rich. I lean back and I fall asleep.

When I wake up, everybody is there. Everybody. Sarah, Carolina, Aragorn, Arwen, Galadriel, Legolas, Gimli, Indra, Eowyn, Faramir, Merry and Pippin, and last, Boromir has moved the chair up next to my bed and is holding my hand. It's a very packed room.

"Hey." I mutter feebly. "Ioreth told me what happened. Thanks, guys. All of you." Before I can get out another word, Merry and Pippin have buried me in hugs.

"You're okay." Merry says.

"Not exactly, Merry, look, she looks like those dogs Sandyman keeps outside, all skin and bones. And she looks scared and duller." Pippin corrects.

"Wow, thanks. I'm flattered." I say between hugs.

"I missed you." Boromir says after the hobbit attack ends.

"Just like you said you would?" I squeeze his hand. Tears burn my cheeks, and he looks to be holding them back.

"Worse. I thought we'd never find you."

"I thought I'd be in darkness forever."

"Dayna, you can't possibly get married next week." Sarah tells me, cutting off my moment.

"I can. Watch, I'll eat lots of fruit and cream, and cake, and tea, and meat, and everything I can get my hands on. I'll be fine."

"No matter. I had it moved to the week after now." Boromir says.

"Please, we can do it!" I say. "I can do it."

"You may have had the dress made, ma'am, but you won't fit it anymore. You're too skinny. Like a board." Indra said. "Remember, you had it custom made with all the lace. Now it won't fit."

"We can have it adjusted. I need it to be next week."

"I think I can adjust the flowers well, and speak with the cooks. It may take some work, but the work can be done." Galadriel says.

"Thanks. Is the hall ready? And what happened when I was gone?" I ask.

"Arwen and I had our wedding." Aragorn muttered.

"It was beautiful, Dayna." Arwen smiled at Aragorn. "I am truly sorry you missed the fun."

"I am too. But there are things that it's okay to do without me. I'm not the center of everybody's life, yo." I smile.

"Faramir and I set a date for our wedding. It shall be in April." Eowyn shines bright like, no, brighter than a diamond.

"I thought we said May." Faramir says.

"Not now." Eowyn clenches her teeth. The two of them are definitely the best.

"Frodo couldn't come right when I left, and Sam wasn't going to leave him, but they said they were coming later." Caro filled in.

"We tore apart the country looking for you. I swear."

"Thanks, guys. I'd like a word with Boromir in private, though. I'm glad we got to talk, and it's great to see you all." I smile and Sarah waves them out before shutting the door, but I know she's listening on the other side with Caro. Sucks for them.

"Are you sure you're up for it? You hardly look suitable to walk."

"Yes. I can get my strength back quickly. I'm pretty sure some lembas will help things, maybe some Mirovure. Is Gandalf here?"

"No, he's sorting things out in Isengard. He left after the wedding of Arwen and Aragorn."

"Oh. I'm sorry I was an idiot and tried to go alone. Did Sarah tell you what happened? We both slept when one of us should have stayed guard. That's why all this happened."

"Once, you told me, mistakes happen, but our job is to make sure we don't repeat them."

"I remember that. You know, Ioreth told me that you got drunk and talked to her about me."

"I don't recall that. But I remember drinking a lot on the day they told me they couldn't find you anywhere in the West, and I remember waking up sleeping on the throne."

"Seriously? What did Aragorn do?" I ask with a smile.

"He helped me up and back to bed. He understood."

"He's a good man. He'll be a great king." I stroke Boromir's face and push his hair behind his ear. "I love you."

"I love you too. More than you'll know."

"I love you beyond words I can say. And in that moment when we get married, I swear it'll be the happiest moment of my life."

"I think so as well. You know, there wasn't a day when I forgot you. I wore my ring every day."

"I still had my ring when I left. It's still on my finger." I hold it up, the silver still beautifully polished and smooth. It's big on my finger, but I've managed to keep it so far.

"I wonder why they took you, but not Sarah."

"Think about all I did compared to her. She's a healer, a decent fighter but not amazing. And then there's me. And I don't mean to brag, but I've taken out legions. There's a much bigger bounty on my head." Okay, I probably couldn't even hold up my sword right now. Or my bow. Or even an arrow.

"Why not me?"

"You're a human. No fun. Now, take an elf, who can't die or starve, and things get more interesting. An engaged elf who is regarded as a starter of the battle that ended it all? Even better. You would take her out first chance. Now, certainly, you're a more logical long term choice but they're stinging from losing. I'm a logical target."

"You're rationalizing your kidnapping."

"Damn right." We both laugh. He kisses my cheek. I think for a second. "Some nights I would dream I was still in the cave and I would think I saw the stars around me. And you were with me. Then, we just danced in the stars, and then, I'd wake up. All over just like that. That scared me more than anything."

"You admit fear?"

"I have before. Remember Moria?"

"We were all scared there. There was reason."

"There's always reason but acting on it, that's different."

"No, you always have to act on it. By ignoring fear, you allow it to consume you. The question is the wisdom of your actions. Some feel stronger, act in battle with fear. Some panic, some are paralyzed. But if you do not act on it, it wins."

"Deep. You acted on your fear then, didn't you?"

"Of course. Do you want to go back to the Citadel?"

"Yes. I want my bed again, and I want Ioreth to stop worrying over me."

"So that Sarah, Aragorn, and I can worry over you?"

"Better than her. At least you guys can take a joke." I smirk.

"I think I can get you through the window."

"Oh, shut up!" I giggle.

"How do you wish to leave, m'lady?"

"In a golden chariot, a gown of silk, and white horses, with my love by my side and my friends kneeling at my feet."

"You're joking."

"When am I ever serious?"

"When you tell me you love me. When you say you're tired of war. When you daydream."

"I'd be blushing if I had the energy."

"I'm sure I can talk Ioreth into letting you go back to the palace. You do want to sleep in your own bed."

"Of course.

"She needs to see sense. I'll speak to her. Do you think you're strong enough to go back to the palace?"

"Yes."

"A room alone. Nobody in the night if something goes wrong?" I pause for a second. I won't have Indra because she'll be asleep in the other room. Sarah and Legolas, well, I don't wanna go there, and Caro is probably busy. Galadriel will be planning and stressing out, and I won't have anybody. I see what he's getting at.

"We aren't married yet. I mean-"

"I don't mean it like that. You can stay in the second bedroom, if you want."

"Oh, right. That. I mean, I get it. Thank you. I accept your offer." I smile as he stands up. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to tell Ioreth you're leaving, and that she has no say. Unless you object."

"Of course not. I want out of here. It's like being in a box."

"It'll only be a second." He leaves, shutting the door behind him. I wait in the silence. I stare at the ceilings and gaze at the marble. It's ice cold. I resent all the stone here. It feels off. I adjust my blankets, pick at my fingernails, twirl my hair around my finger. Finally, the door opens again.

"Good news. She's letting you go."

"I thought she had no choice?"

"Well, I had to talk her into it. Here." He helps me up, and supports me.

"I'm going to walk through the city in a nightgown? I'm sure that may hurt my reputation."

"You're a hero who's been missing for months. Everyone is just happy to see you."

"That means they're looking at me, and I don't like it."

"Married to the King's hand, you're going to get looked at a lot. Get used to it, darling." I cringe. We walk out, myself barely supported by his arm, feeling frailer than a glass ball. Yeah, I think I've taken some serious damage from being locked in a cave for months. We go up the stairs, and pass the new Tree of Gondor, barely a sprout but very much alive. It's gorgeous, and I would stop and touch it if I weren't, you know, sort of just past a near death experience. Boromir opens the doors and takes me through the vast stone hall to the steward's quarters, very cozy.

"Which bedroom do you want?"

"Which one is not yours? I mean, I don't want to inconvenience you."

"I don't care if you inconvenience me. My bed's more comfortable and the room is warmer. You'd probably be better off there."

"Thanks. I owe you, like, everything. Remind me next time you almost die to do you a thousand favors. Probably make you pancakes, read to you, wait for you, and give you my bed. You've done more for me than anyone."

"Neither of us owe the other anything. It's what we do for the ones we love."

"You're too cute to exist. Can I get into bed now? I mean, I probably won't sleep. Can you read to me?" I make my puppy eyes with the last sentence.

"Fine." He says with mock reluctance. He helps me under the covers and sits cross legged next to me on the bed. "I'll read you a book I read as a child. It's a story about a horse." He pulls a tattered, thin book with a paper cover off of a shelf. It's old, but not incredibly so. Definitely from his childhood. He begins reading, and I lean on him. I sort of fall asleep, but he keeps reading. At one point, I think he stops and puts the covers on top of me. He sits there for a while, and then leaves.


	19. Chapter 19

"Wake up. Goodness, you're a mess." Galadriel is standing over me, and Sarah and Caro are having laughing fits next to her. Great.

"What...?" I mumble, half asleep as I wipe the spittle off my chin. "Dude, Galadriel, I can't-"

"You want the wedding?"

"Mm hmm."

"Get up. We've got a lot to do. Who does your hair? You need to brush it, oil it, and tie it better. It's got split ends, goodness. I realize you were a soldier, but you're a lady now and you can't go looking like this."

"Can too." I sit up.

"No, you can't. You have to uphold an appearance. Perfect grace, looking flawless. You can act like a slob when you aren't in public. Get out of bed. We're going to refit your wedding dress, decide on hairstyles, makeup, and get you cleaned up, especially your manners. You slouch, goodness!"

"I slouch because I'm still half dead."

"Yes, well, you might be half dead in the future in public and you need respect. Get out of bed." Caro pulls the blankets off of my bed. Ugh. I stand up and lean on the wall.

"No no no. Stand straight. Very good."

"Fine. What are we doing first?"

"Let's get you a nice bath. Can one of you get the water going?"

"Yup." Sarah goes into the bathroom, and I hear rushing water. It better be warm. I take off my leg and my nightgown, but not the shift under it. I still have my modesty. I walk into the bathroom and take off my shift, my prosthetic, and get into the hot water, perfumed with some soap thing or something. This is practically my second bath today, if you don't count my hibernation. Galadriel gets a comb and a bowl of some sweet smelling oil and begins combing it through my hair and then dipping my hair into the water.

"This will fix the split ends."

"I don't need my hair fixed."

"It's the color of dust and frayed. You need your hair fixed." I sit back and decide not to fight anymore. She yanks, but at least it's not like when I was little and my mother would do my hair. Ugh, I'm sure those French braids were the worst. I sit in silence as she puts my hair into a bun, perfect, not too tight but not loose or sloppy. I sit on the edge of the tub, and put on a towel. She picks up my prosthetic leg.

"You realize that this...thing... is covered in dirt, and nicked in seven places, barely recognizable."

"I do. This 'thing' has been through thick and thin with me and I intend to keep it."

"I'm going to have them make you a new one, one suitable for a lady as yourself. Not wood. How do you feel about porcelain?"

"I can't do anything in porcelain without it breaking."

"Porcelain is stronger than you think. Look, the mechanism is simple, and we could move it in, and then the porcelain can be painted."

"I want words, stories painted on it. And a sword too."

"Not for your wedding. For your wedding you will have flowers on it."

"It's my choice."

"No, it's your consequence. I will make the choice, because you cannot plan a thing."

"Fine. We can at least compromise, right? Have words on it?"

"Sure. Your names."

"I can deal with that. So do they need it to make the model?"

"I'll ask. For now, just keep it. Get dressed, because we're going up the mountain to find a spot good for the wedding."

"Good. Something fun. I can wear pants. You can leave now." I shoo her out. Okay, I feel bad about being so argumentative, but she's so stubborn. I fish through the cupboard next to the tub, full of Boromir's clothes, and then I realize I don't have my clothes.

"Caro?" I call. Caro peeks through the door.

"Yo."

"Can you get me some leggings and a tunic from my room? I don't have any clothes except my nightgown."

"Can do. You know, don't expect this all the time. It's 'cause you're like, crippled and weak right now."

"Yeah. I don't like it. I'm a free bird. Can't hold me down unless you cut my leg off and lock me in a cave for a few months. Then I'll just whine at you." I smile. Ah, jokes that speak the truth.

"I know. You shut up so I can get you clothes." Caro leaves, and I fasten my leg back on. It feels good to have it back. Now I can at least stand up. Not like I have any reason to, but I guess it's better. The door opens, and Caro tosses my clothes. I catch them. It isn't my tunic. It's a dress and a coat. Damn it, Galadriel. What did you tell her? I put it on, a simple red dress with a grey wool coat. At least they spared me the dignity of my boots. I leave the bathroom, and plop back onto the bed. Galadriel, Sarah, and Caro open the door.

"Ready? I mean, we do have a lot to do." Sarah says sheepishly.

"As I'll ever be." I stand and follow them out of the room. The day goes as follows: we pick a spot on the mountain that's the least freezing and still pretty according to Indra, we refit my dress and I have pearls sewn on the neckline. Boromir, Legolas, and Aragorn try to get a glimpse of the dress, and Sarah whacks them with a bolt of lace. Galadriel sat and played with my hair for an hour, trying every veil she could find with every braid possible, and Caro tried to learn how to use the Middle Earth style makeup. Galadriel also had me fitted for my new porcelain leg, and I got to watch them make it. Sarah waxed my leg(s?) and I nearly clawed her face off, and then I actually got to eat. And that was definitely the best part of the day. By then, I was so sick of all of the crap that I just ate everything on my plate and went to bed. The next day, Galadriel lets me sleep in, but when I wake up makes my life a living hell by forcing me to practice my wedding ceremony. With everybody. In a white dress that was not my wedding dress, because it's 'bad luck.' Fuck that. I've got flowers.

Anyways, she experimented every possible way for me to walk in dramatically, and every person my friends could be matched with (Arwen with Aragorn, Sarah with Legolas, Indra with Gimli, Eowyn with Faramir, Carolina escorting Merry and Pip together was the final count), and once that was done we move on to the bridesmaid's dresses. There is where the real fun is. I've already picked out a pretty lavender color that matched the green Boromir had chosen for his groomsmen, but I haven't picked the style. Naturally, I want them to wear cocktail dresses, but they're apparently scandalous. So, I do some pretty Greek-style over the shoulder draping, and Galadriel is satisfied. Sarah doesn't like it (it clashes with her hair, she insists) and Caro couldn't care, Indra just wants to look pretty because Brennan, her crush, was going to be there. She's fucking cute, okay? Just like me when I was her age, except I'm too much older in actuality. Arwen and Eowyn are too busy gabbing over their own fiancees and husbands at that point that they just sort of tune out all dress conversation.

The next week, now that we had it down, is spent with Boromir and I tasting cake, wine, and food, and listening to music. I write down some of my favorite songs from back home, Flowers in your Hair by the Lumineers, some serious Mumford and Sons, and a little bit of Passenger and Of Monsters and Men. The musicians are really intimidated, but I hum the melodies a few times and after I help a bit, they catch on. According to everybody else, I look way better and I'm feeling better too. The ceremonies are definitely going to go better than planned. Ioreth insists on checking on me daily, and I'm ready to kill her. I go to sleep the night before the day before the wedding, and when I wake up I'm deadly stressed. I get up in the middle of the night, and get dressed, then creep out of my room, and into Sarah's.

"Sarah, we're getting drunk." I call. The moonlight reveals that Legolas has her arm over her and she's snoring softly. Their eyes are open, oh, wait, they're elves. Never mind. "Sarah. I'm getting the band back together."

"Legolas, not again in one night." She mumbles.

"God, Sarah, no, it's me and we're getting drunk. I'm gonna go get the girls."

"Right. Come back for me later." I shut the door and go to Indra's room. I walk in to her little room, and tap her shoulder. She wakes with a start.

"What? Who? Oh. It's you."

"Yeah. Get dressed. Have you ever gotten drunk?"

"No. Am I going to find out?"

"Yes. You, me, Arwen, Sarah, Carolina, Eowyn, and Galadriel. Shitfaced drunk. I'm stressed as fuck, because tomorrow's the preparty."

"Fine." She sits up, turns to the wall, and puts on a dress over her shift. "Do you want my help waking everyone up? I know where all the guests are staying."

"Yes, yes, and yes. Let's go." She guides me to Galadriel and Celeborn's room, and I knock, then since Galadriel is awake and reading, I tell her we're getting drunk. She seems pretty pumped, and I don't think she's gotten rocked in a while. Well, neither have I. This is gonna be a first. I wake up Eowyn, then Carolina, and both of them just sit up and leave. Then we go back for Sarah.

"We're gonna go get the queen!" Caro squeals. "She's gonna get drunk!"

"I'm down." Sarah says, surveying our ragtag team of alcoholic females. "After we get her, we're going to raid the wine cellar, 'kay? If not wine, what are we gonna drink?"

"Ale is disgusting. They don't have margaritas or hard lemonade here, so wine's what we've got." Caro says.

"God might save the queen but we'll get her drunk. Move out, girls!" I walk out in front of my go team. We're gonna have too much fun with this. We parade through the King's quarters, which are way nicer than Boromir and I's (not like I'm complaining, I'm not), and open the door to their room. They're both asleep, and Galadriel uses her mind screamy thing at Arwen. Arwen silently gets out of bed, puts on a robe, and leaves with us. Yeah. We're that cool.

We all silently walk to the wine cellar. "Guys, we each pick a bottle. Go with whatever." I find a deep crimson bottle with some white wine in it. This is the stuff. Once everybody's selected a bottle, Eowyn attempting to taste each of them, we have to find an empty room, in short supply.

"The room next to Sarah and Legolas is empty. We could stay there." Indra suggests.

"Nah. We might wake him up. He's been stressed." Sarah shrugs.

"Over Boromir and I's wedding? Last I checked he wasn't the one who has to taste every cake, try every hairdo, and plan every guest seat."

"Yeah, but do you think Boromir's the one planning his half? Nope. He goes to Legolas."

"Really? That's hilarious. I don't actually mind, because he couldn't plan a thing, but you know, I get it. Legolas is chill, organized, and pretty smart."

"We're getting drunk. Moving along." Arwen mumbles.

"Yeah. When do we actually drink this?" Indra says impatiently.

"We could drink it in your room." I tell Indra.

"Yeah, and half of the castle servants will hear."

"Better that servants hear than nobles."

"No. My room's really isolated." Caro says. "Let's go there." And we all agree. She's right, her room is on the east side and closer to the offices and record rooms, which it's surrounded by. Nobody will be there this time of night. We bust into her room, the seven of us finding our spots. Sarah makes me sit in the armchair because I'm the bride so I should get drunker.

"No drinking games. Let's play ask the bride." Sarah smirks.

"Let's not." I say.

"That sounds amusing." Galadriel adds.

"Yes, let's. I would like to know a lot about you two." Arwen giggles.

"Please?" Eowyn pleads.

"I can't say no now, can I?" I mutter angrily.

"Nope. We're going to drag it out of you." Indra smiles sweetly as she takes a sip out of her bottle with slight cringe. She doesn't like it.

"First question. Have you done the frick frack?" Caro bites her lip.

"God, no. Not yet, at least."

"What is frick frack?" Galadriel says.

"It's the act of marriage." Sarah clarifies.

"Ah." Galadriel says, hiding a grin. We're all middle schoolers at heart. "I believe it is my turn. What caused you to fancy him?"

"Come on, Galadriel, you know that."

"It's considerably more embarrassing to force you to publicly say it, and it is more fun."

"Fine. We just have a lot in common. We're both impatient, love pointy things, really love each other, are devoted to our friends and each other, and we're both pretty smart. And he's incredibly handsome."

"Amen." Caro says to the last sentence.

"Hands off."

"I think it's my turn." Eowyn. "What are you going to do your wedding night?"

"Frick frack, I guess. I don't know if there's a right answer here. I have no idea." I shrug.

"Ooh. I've got one. What do your parents think of him?" Arwen smiles gently.

"My parents...?" I trail off, remembering my mom and dad. What would they think of their baby girl getting drunk and marrying a captain and nobility, and then killing a ton of orcs? Who knows. "I haven't seen them in years, nor will I ever see them again, I think. But they would approve of him. He'd get along with my dad really well." I take a swig.

"I think my time has come. Do you want kids?" Indra, oh, sweet little Indra.

"Well, we have to have heirs, do we not? I mean, I can't just wait a few hundred years and see. Maybe only one or two, because I don't want too many kids, but yeah, we both want kids." I don't really like kids, but it'll probably be different when they're mine.

"My turn." Sarah is going to humiliate me, I can feel it. "Do you love him?"

"Of course. Would I be here if he didn't? He wouldn't be here if I didn't."

"Good. Round two. Questions will be more intense, personal, and drunker. Everybody take a chug." Sarah decides, after throwing back her bottle. Galadriel drinking is just the funniest thing, and Indra is really confused. She's staring intently at her fingers and wiggling them. "I'll start. Have you ever touched each other?"

"Nope. No further than hands, waist, and one time butts." Indra breaks into hysterics when I say butt. She starts crying of laughter.

"Dude, chill. I mean, it's just butts." Caro pats her back, and Indra manages to compose herself.

"I think I've got something. Is he a good kisser, or does he drool or stick his tongue down your throat?" Arwen asks.

"I think he's pretty good. Like, not too much tongue or drool, pretty gentle actually."

"Dang. My turn. Have you ever..." Carolina pauses for dramatic effect. "shown him anything?"

"Well, do you count after you got me back from being kidnapped and all I was wearing was a thin, dirty shift?"

"Nope."

"Then no. Game over. There's more fun than this."

"Come on." Indra moans. "This was getting fun."

"I've got an idea. Let's tell the dirtiest stories we know." Sarah is grinning like a Cheshire cat. It's her specialty. So, of course, everybody except me tells a story, and I'm not going to go into the details of any of them. Hey, this journal is meant to be T, not MC-17. I have to say, Galadriel's got a dirtier mind than anybody would have ever thought. It's because she can see all of ours, I think. All the gay fanfiction I wrote in my head when I was bored. Damn Destiel. By then, we're all really, really, drunk, and I don't remember much except all of us except Eowyn and I singing some really loud tavern songs, and then Indra crying in the corner and passing out. Well, this has been an interesting night. Sarah goes to her room, Galadriel takes Indra back and goes to bed, Eowyn stumbles out and goes to her room too, and Caro goes to sleep. I need to go. I limp back to the steward's quarters, and I creep into bed. Not my bed. One that somebody else is in. One my fiancee is in.

"What, I can't..." He mumbles.

"It's meeee!" I sing with a giggle following it.

"Sleeping. Sleeping only."

"Cuddles. Kisses. Sleeping is boring."

"Sleeping is logical. You're drunk, and you smell like wine and vomit."

"I do? Oh. I'll just sleep here then. All alone. Without my fiancee to love me." I act sad. Okay, drunk me is pathetic. I sprawl out like a snow angel in the big bed.

"Sleep. Or else I might have to hug you."

"Please do." I kid. "I'd be fine with it." I wrap my arm around him, and he lifts his arm so that he's not like in a straightjacket. I snuggle close to him. Yeah, I could deal with this for the rest of his life. His life, I think. What am I getting myself into? I force that thought away. Weddings, happiness, cake, and love, and war. I'm going to ignore the future. I fall asleep, in his arms. Such a cutie.

I wake up, and I'm very, very hung over. My head hurts like murder, and my entire body feels like a giant period cramp. I need some tea, coffee, and whatever will stop the pain. Tylenol, maybe. I moan. Boromir wakes up.

"Did the alcohol come back and attack you?"

"Yes. After being kidnapped by orcs, losing a leg, fighting four battles, and going to Mordor, this is worse than all of that combined."

"Wine seems to have that effect on people."

"Remind me never to get that drunk again, because I don't remember a thing except singing and laughing a lot and then Indra throwing up."

"You're a mess. We have a party tonight, and it's actually for us."

"I know. I'm going to have to get all cleaned up. Put on a good dress, brush my hair, and probably take a bath because I smell terrible. I think I might have puked too. Oh, god." A splitting pain runs through my skull.

"Here. I'll get some hot water running, and go get some tea. If you need help unlacing your dress..."

"Yeah. Get some water going first, though." I smile at him, even though I'm still buried in blankets. He pulls himself out of the bed, and turns on the faucet in the bathroom to the tub. He helps me out of bed, and unlaces my dress. I take off my shift. God. No guy has ever seen me undressed before. I begin to take off his clothes. Okay, he's really muscular, and handsome, and looking down, he's got a great, well, this is journal still rated T. I'm not going to go there.

"I thought we were going to wait." I whisper as we look each other over. I lean in to him, and he takes my bare waist. And then, well, we do the do. I regret nothing. And it's really, really, great, because it's really with love, and affection, and even though I'm pretty clumsy, we both have a good time. So there. We did it. We're married. But we can't just call off the wedding or something. Nope. And I still smell like wine.

So once we've both cuddled for an hour or so, I take a bath, and he helps me get dressed after I get out. The dress he chose (I let him pick my dress) is a soft green dress made of cotton, and some boots. Ah, the boots. I love my boots. I pick a matching green vest with a white shirt and pair of black pants for him. I brush my once again bright hair and braid it to the side. Boromir puts a silver circlet with green jewels dripping off of it onto my head, and I kiss him as I fasten his cloak over his shoulders. We're a sight to see, perfectly matching. I think we're ready for the party.

We escort each other into the hall, once again brimming with people. The musicians are playing a lively waltz. Wow, they've done pretty well. It's late in the evening, and there are candles hanging from the ceiling, like stars. The room is packed with people, and there's a space cleared for dancing. Tradition is, all the groomsmen and bridesmaids have to dance with each other, and the bride has to dance with all the groomsmen and the groom has to dance with each bridesmaid. But at the moment, I only want to dance with Boromir. The quick music perks everyone up, and the party is very alive. We're still both really bad dancers, but he picks me up and spins me around once, and everybody claps. Apparently it's quite a sight.

Arwen and Aragorn are dancing, and they love each other a lot. You can see it in their eyes. I used to think she was like ice, but she isn't. She loves him. Eowyn and Faramir keep glancing over at Boromir and I and laughing at some little joke as they dance, and Faramir is making faces at us. They're both such kids. I stick my tongue out at them. Sarah and Legolas are doing a sock hop, I think. It's Sarah's favorite dance so she must have taught it to him. They're so lost that they aren't even dancing to the rhythm. It's really cute anyways. Carolina is dancing with Elrohir (I finally learned how to tell them apart), even though he isn't a groomsman, he arrived with his brother and dad sometime in the week. They're really having fun, and Caro's looking like a middle schooler caught with her crush. Bravo, girl. Indra is gracefully stealing the show with a handsome boy around 14 years old, Brennan I assume. They're the youngest pair, but still having just as much fun as the adults. Galadriel and Celeborn are dancing slowly around the edge of the dance floor. They have a beautiful love. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pip are singing some songs back with some of the people who prefer not to dance, and I think they've found the pints. Gimli is with them, laughing. Thranduil, Legolas's father, is hovering around the corner, watching his son. I get his hesitance. Elrond is standing in the back next to him.

Then, one of my songs that I've chosen comes on. Caro and Sarah recognize it. We both break off and being group dancing, like the kind you do at prom where you just shake your hips and move your shoulders and clap. And everybody gets into it. Seriously. We all drink, and laugh, and have a lot of fun over all. Guests begin to leave, and my friends and I after some dancing, are the last ones left. Boromir and I walk out to the courtyard. I sit on a bench and stare at the stars. Boromir wraps his arm around me.

"How do you think the party went?"

"Magnificent. I love dancing, even though I'm terrible at it."

"You're better than me."

"Don't lie to yourself like that. You're really good." I lean into him.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

"I love you the most of all, to the ends of the earth." I silence him by putting my lips on his. And he kisses me back. And I kiss him back. And we just kiss for a long time. We share a bed again, but we don't do it again. Just cuddle. I sleep magnificently.


	20. Chapter 20

That is, of course, until I wake up and realize that today is our wedding. Shit, shit, shit. This could be everything or nothing. I hurry out of bed, bathe, and put on a shift, multiple layers of underskirts, a corset, and every possible thing I need to wear for my dress. Since I look like a layered Frankenstein, I throw on one of my cloaks that should cover me enough and put the hood up to go unrecognized. I practically sprint through the palace to the tailor's, where my dress is. Galadriel is pacing back and forth across the room. She's wearing a more modest version of the bridesmaid's dresses, because she's acting as the mother of the bride.

"You're late, and the bridesmaids are already wearing their gowns."

"I slept in, okay? God. Just get the dress on me." I throw off the cloak, and the crew that's sewed my dress from start to finish begins to delicately button it, fasten it, adjust it, and make sure it looks perfect. Of course, it does. The lace sleeves are down to my wrists, close fitting and delicately sewn. My neckline, a scoop, is embroidered with glimmering pearls. The skirt is velvet along with the bodice, and a princess waistline accentuates my figure really well. It's the dress of my dreams. I slip on my new porcelain leg with purple floral detail, which is recently finished, and put on some white slippers made just for me.

Galadriel sits me down and braids my auburn hair into one of those hairdos that starts with a braid on either side then comes together at the nape of the neck into a bun, except she braids lavender ribbons through my hair with them. She places the circlet onto my head and tucks the veil into it. Finally, she glosses my lips a bit (for the kiss, she says), rubs some blush on my cheeks, and puts some eyeshadow onto my eyes. I really look great. I never thought I could ever be this pretty, but here I am.

Galadriel escorts me out to the courtyard, which leads to the mountain path. A litter is waiting for me. Okay, I've never ridden one of these before. I sit inside, shaded, and it's filled with warm furs. I ride up the mountain anxiously, not too far but I feel bad for the people carrying this damn thing. I need to tip them. They stop, and I climb out. A large canvas has prevented us from seeing the rest of the wedding, and the groomsmen are leaning on our side, talking and laughing. Galadriel makes sure my hair is still okay, and Sarah and Caro fuss over my dress. Eowyn rearranges and redesigns my bouquet of lilacs and lilies three times, and I finally tell her to stop fretting. Indra is having a panic attack, poor girl, and I hug her and gently inform her that everything will go really, really well. Arwen is spinning in a circle because she loves weddings and it's so sweet that the two of us are getting married. My bridesmaids are almost as much of a mess as me.

Finally, we hear the music. Arwen and Aragorn walk out first, respectably. Then, Sarah and Legolas, the elegant couple, stride down. Eowyn and Faramir put on their straight public face and walk down the aisle calmly. Indra takes Gimli's arm. The two are close friends now, and they smile as they walk. Caro takes Merry and Pippin by the hand, last but never the least is my little Gryffindor.

And then, my time comes. Galadriel and I link arms, and she takes me back from behind the canvas. Boromir and everybody are staring at me, but all I see is him. He's wearing a white vest and shirt, with white breeches. The vest has pale green piping, and silver detail. A handsome outfit, even though his hair is still a bit messy. I kind of like it that way.

I hear everybody stand up, respect for the bride, right? I feel like I'm going to trip and make a fool of myself, but I don't. The bouquet in my hands weighs a ton. Then, where the purple carpet ends, Galadriel lets go of my arm. I keep going and stop at the altar. A small marble stand has a box, with our gold wedding rings on it. And I look up. Boromir's face looks like it's about to crack from smiling so much. The conductor of the ceremony is one of the most respected scholars in the city, and a close friend of Boromir's. Most of it is in Quenya, and Boromir stumbles over his lines despite the fact that I recite them perfectly. Then, we remove our engagement rings and put them in a box to be burned so that they melt. Boromir lifts the veil off of my face. We put our wedding rings on one another, the gold delicately woven into an elegant pattern inlaid with emeralds, my color, and his rubies. And then, we kiss. Some weddings have just a simple peck, but we wrapped our arms around one another and planted our love on each other's lips. For a long time. And everybody clapped. Sarah and Caro were crying, and I think Gimli was too even though he wouldn't admit it.

The ceremony ends, and I walk down with everybody else because I don't have a superiority complex. I notice some people shivering. Right, it's February. That makes sense. Sorry, I can't feel it. I feel bad for the clean-up crew that has to climb a mountain to do their job. In the hall, one of the biggest feasts I've ever seen is taking place. Food. Food so bountiful that even my class back home couldn't have eaten all this. And there's a monstrous cake in the center of the table, topped with dripping berries and cream and icing, and oh, god, I just want to eat it. However, the food is for after the first dance.

The band plays a slow waltz, for the bride and groom only.

"Are you ready?" Boromir says, taking my arm and guiding me to the center of the dance floor.

"As ready as a terrible dancer could ever be." I smile. We start to dance, slowly, tripping over each other's feet and laughing. All the guests watch us, and I feel like a bug under a microscope, but a really happy one. Then, as the music ends, we kiss again. The next song starts, and the other couples move out to the floor. Boromir and I, however, go sit down.

"I want cake." I say.

"I want cake as well." He grins.

"Which of us will cut that monstrosity they're calling a cake? I mean, we're both really good with sharp objects."

"We can do it together."

"Can we use a sword? That would be cool." I smile. I imagine the two of us attacking the pastry with our swords, and the other wedding guests' reactions to the mad couple.

"That's not the best idea. I think they have a knife out there for it."

"Oh, right. A knife. That's the best plan."

"Let's do it." So we both stand up, and he takes the first cut, then me, and we take turns until the cake is a fruity mess of a thing. Oh well. It didn't need to look pretty. I take a chunk of cake with some cream and berry on it, and I scrape my finger across the top and lick it. Delicious. I feed some to Boromir, and he gets it on his nose. We both laugh. Somebody find me a wedding photographer.

The dancing and drinking lasts until about midnight, which is when Galadriel tells everybody to leave so that we can get enough sleep. Well, we go to bed, and then, well, you know what people do their wedding night. It was never a bad idea, marrying him. We both love each other very much, and I remember a story I told Sarah once. A cockroach living in a wall comes out of his hole one evening, and he notices a moth flying towards the lamp. He shouts at him to stop, and the moth looks over at him and says, "It's better to burn bright and short than to live dim and long." And then, the moth soared into the lamp and was fried. It's sort of like that. I love him, and it'll be bright and short. It's better this way.


	21. Epilogue

Asher Istol

The Year of the Fourth Age 87

There are many things I must tell you. It has been over 87 years since the end of the War of the Ring, and I only know about it in stories and songs. My mother left me this. I also must tell you that my mother left Middle Earth for Valinor just yesterday. My father died ten years prior, and she was never the same. However, her legacy will not be forgotten. She taught my sister and I to think on our feet, and to think for ourselves. My father taught me the ways of the sword, and the way of a captain. He relinquished his power shortly after the wedding to his brother, my uncle, in favor of remaining a captain. The confined buildings never suited him or my mother. They both became some of the greatest military leaders Gondor had ever known, even after they became parents.

My sister Arya recently wed a son of Elrohir and Carolina. They are both elf-kind, so it will be a good, long, and happy wedding. My mother urged me many years ago, just after I came of age, to choose mortality because it was wiser to live short and bright. My sister did not heed her, but instead chose love. I do not envy Arya, but I do not disagree with her. Arya looked much like her, the same auburn waves and delicate face, but she had my father's eyes. I resembled my father almost identically, but my mother told me I had her temperament. They both live on in us.

When my mother left, Carolina, Legolas, Sarah, Elrohir, and Gimli followed. They had waited for her, and she was holding out to make sure the kingdom was stable. It was raining that day, but my mother was the queen of storms. She danced across the docks of that ship, and hugged my sister and me close before whispering not to forget. She pressed her diary of the war into my hand, and left without a word.

My mother did not care whether or not she was remembered, nor did she care if she was in songs or tales. But memory of her has been preserved, paintings of the fellowship adorning tapestries, songs of the Lady of Storms, and some of the songs she sang and tales she told can be heard nowhere else but for the halls of Minas Tirith. One of my favorites of hers was one she called Let her Go, and she often sang it with Carolina. She is revered and a model captain studied by soldiers of Gondor for her leadership. She told my father a short while after the wedding everything about all that had happened to her, and he wrote it down and gave it to my sister and me many years after. She was a curious lady, a curious captain, a scholar, an elf, and all that she had ever wanted to be. But most of all, she was the woman of storm, and she will never be forgotten.


End file.
